Gone
by HGRache
Summary: She remembered the moment when she knew something was wrong...She remembered the fear and the panic and the knowledge that this was really happening to them
1. Chapter 1

Title: Gone

Author: Rachel

Disclaimer: I own nothing, aside from my original characters.

Author's Note: This was inspired by a true story I saw on TV, but the story is completely mine. Thanks for reading!

!

She remembered the moment when she knew something was wrong, even as her brain struggled to catch up, still trying desperately to grasp what exactly felt so wrong. She remembered the fear and the panic and the knowledge that this was really happening to her. To them.

She remembers the smells, the sounds of the woods around them, the crickets and the wind rustling the trees. She remembers the haze and the lights. She remembers being struck with the knowledge that she needed to stay put, they needed to avoid being moved, along with the blind panic when she realized they were _already_ being moved and neither could do a thing about it. She remembers that absolutely hopeless feeling she had before she succumbed to the rapidly invading darkness.

!

Gone. Vanished into thin air. That was what the cops said. It was hard to believe. Not her, not them. They were girls he knew, girls he was actually friends with. This was Ohio, this shit didn't happen here. Except that it did and they had all become well aware of that over the last few hours. They had all sat, gaping at the cops as they explained the situation and questioned the glee club. Had anyone seen them? When had someone last spoken to them, either of them? Did either of them have reason to run away? Could it have been something to do with a boy, some sort of teenage rebellion? Puck had laughed at that one. These were two girls who probably didn't even know the meaning of the phrase, two girls so well adjusted and put together that there was no way it was anything other than a brutal, violent mistake. A mistake they might never recover from.

He put his head in his hands, listening to the cop go over and over the facts, few though they were. They were grasping at straws here and they all knew it. They should be out looking, finding their girls. Before it was too late…


	2. Chapter 2

_24 Hours Earlier_

Rachel was at her locker getting her books ready for her morning classes. It was Tuesday morning and she was officially dragging. She was glad she didn't have any tests to prepare for today and she could let her attention wander a bit in her classes.

"Hey, Berry." She saw the letterman jacket out of the corner of her eye, recognized the timbre of the man's voice. She turned towards him.

"Hey, Noah."

"Get the chem homework finished?"

"Yes, it took more time than I had anticipated, but I finished it."

"Any problems?"

She shut her locker and brushed aside an errant strand of hair. "Some difficulty with the last section, but other than that, no. I think your tutoring has really paid off."

He reached out and brushed back the same strand of hair when it refused to stay behind her ear. "Good. We can work on the last section tonight if you want."

She nodded gratefully as they started walking down the hall. "That would be great. I do appreciate your help with chemistry, Noah. I didn't realize it would give me so many problems."

He grinned down at the petite girl. "Can't be good at everything, Berry," he teased.

"Yes, well, I suppose that is true," Rachel said with a frown.

Puck laughed softly at her. She didn't like it any more now than she had when she asked him for help. "Seriously, Rach, you're allowed to be bad at some things. Not a lot of things, but an occasional one here and there is ok."

She gave him a mock glare before stepping slightly behind him to avoid a passing classmate. "Yes, well, no worries there, I am most assuredly bad at chemistry and I don't see that changing any time soon. You, however, are surprisingly adept at the subject."

"Yeah, I don't have any problem with chemistry," he said, shooting her a wink.

She rolled her eyes at his double entendre, not the first he'd used since he'd started tutoring her. "Yes, Noah, I am well aware of your chemistry skills, as is almost everyone in Lima."

He grinned, placing a hand over his heart. "You wound me, Berry. No, really, that stings."

She rolled her eyes again and smacked his arm but was unable to keep the smile off her face. "Whatever."

His grin got wider. "Whatever," he mocked. He ducked out of the way as she tried to smack him again. "See you at lunch," he called, darting off down the hall.

Rachel shook her head, wondering why she put up with him and his antics, although truth be told she didn't mind much anymore. He had really mellowed out towards her and the rest of the glee kids. New Directions had really come together after their disappointment at regionals the previous year and the threat of no longer having the glee club to fall back on had really made an impression on the members. Things weren't all smooth sailing all the time, but things were vastly improved over last year's group. And Noah was really good at chemistry, which was good, because she had a GPA to maintain and she really didn't think she could do that without him.

She noticed the hallways emptying out and hurried toward her first class, pushing all thoughts from her mind in favor of a nice relaxing class.

!

Rachel was a little surprised to see Mercedes and Kurt at her locker when she went to put her things away for lunch. The three had called a truce of sorts since regionals but divas were divas and sometimes attitudes would flare. Still, they had all decided that while competition amongst themselves was healthy and made everyone better, they should probably try to stick more to friendly competition and support each other where they could. It was a work in progress.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them as she spun the dial on her locker.

"Doll," Kurt said. "Ready for lunch?"

Rachel groaned softly. "You have no idea."

Mercedes quirked an eyebrow. "Rough day?"

"Long," Rachel corrected. "I was working on chemistry last night and didn't get much sleep and then I was running late this morning."

The two best friends shared a look. "Working on chemistry with Puck?"

Rachel chuckled. "No, you gossip mongers, I was not working with Noah, I was actually attempting to see if I had learned enough to do my work by myself. Which, apparently I have not."

Kurt clucked his tongue as they headed toward the cafeteria. "Can't blame you there. If Puck were my tutor I'd make sure not to learn anything either. Keep him coming back for more." He winked at her and Rachel felt herself blushing.

"Whatever," she muttered.

They headed to the glee table, and nodded to Tina and Artie, who were already there. Before long they were joined by Quinn and Finn, with Puck, Matt and Mike following shortly after.

"No Cheerios today?" Kurt asked.

Quinn shook her head. "There's some intense competition training going on so they're sitting with the rest of the team. Probably will all week."

Conversations picked up with various parts of the table and Rachel found herself drifting along, tuning everyone out. She flinched when a hand suddenly waved in front of her face. "Earth to Rachel, come in Rachel," Matt joked.

Rachel turned back to the group. "Sorry. What was the question?"

They all chuckled at her but these days their teasing was good-natured and lacking in the malice it had been so full of last year. "We asked if you knew what Mr. Schue was planning for glee this afternoon. He was practically humming in Spanish class but all he would say is that it's going to be great."

Puck rolled his eyes. "He thinks everything's great."

"It's true," Finn said. "Remember when we went behind his back and did _Push It_ at the assembly instead of his weird song? He thought his song was pretty great."

Puck grinned. "I remember that. Think we could get him to re-instate that number? Some of those images are still burned into my head." He winked at the original female glee members and was pleased to see both Tina and Rachel blush.

"Somehow I don't think he's anxious to perform that number again any time soon," Artie mused. "Whatever it is, let's just hope it's _actually_ good."

"And doesn't involve him dancing," Mercedes piped up.

"I think he dances very well," Tina said, coming to their teacher's defense.

"He did have some wonderful choreography to _Bust a Move_," Rachel pointed out. "He obviously isn't completely without choreography skills."

Mike laughed. "You want to tell him that?"

Rachel shot him a pointed look. "No."

They all laughed again.

!

Schue's epic idea turned out to be duets, which was not a foreign concept to the group. However, he wanted to focus on movie duets and he had Rachel and Tina come up to the front to demonstrate.

"I want you guys to sing _When You Believe_ from the Prince of Egypt," he told them, handing them each the sheet music.

"Whitney and Mariah?" Tina said doubtfully. "Mr. Schue, I don't think I can handle this. Maybe you should have Mercedes down here instead."

"Nonsense, Tina," Rachel said before Schue could get a word in. "Your voice is beautiful and while it does not exactly resemble a power voice like Whitney or Mariah, I believe you place too many limitations on it, especially without even trying."

Schue stepped up beside the two girls. "Rachel's right. Besides, we're not trying to recreate the original and sound exactly like it, we're trying to give the song a new sound, a good but different sound. I chose you specifically for this, Tina. You can do it."

The duet was shaky at first, and Schue stopped them several times to offer notes on their performance but when they got through it the group clapped and genuinely seemed to like the performance.

"That was great, guys," Schue said. "I really like that one. We'll keep working on it and who knows? It may be a contender for competition this year."

Rachel smiled at Tina on their way back to their seats and Mike reached out to high five the Asian girl, offering congratulations. Tina sat down smiling, thinking maybe it was a good song choice after all.

After practice, Tina approached Rachel as she gathered her things. "Do you really think the song was good?" she shyly asked.

Rachel gaped at her. "Tina, of course! I wouldn't lie about that, you know. We are going to win regionals this year and we're going to need some strong numbers and no one will benefit from people lying to spare other people's feelings. It was good. It needs some work, of course, but it definitely has potential."

"I was actually thinking about that," Tina said, pulling out her sheet music. She had gone over their performance in her head and jotted down notes during practice. "I have a few ideas I was hoping we could try. Are you free now?"

Before Rachel could respond Puck came over. "Hey, Rach, you ready to go?"

Tina looked back and forth between the two.

"He was going to give me a ride home and help me study," Rachel explained briefly. "My car is having some maintenance done and I needed a ride." She turned to Noah. "Actually, if it's ok, Tina and I were going to work on our song some more. Can we study tomorrow night?"

"Oh no, that's ok," Tina interjected quickly, stuffing the music back into her bag. "I didn't know you had plans, I should have realized. I'm sorry."

"No, it's no problem," Rachel assured her. "Is it, Noah?"

Puck shrugged indifferently. "Nah. We have some time before the next test, no big deal."

Rachel nodded. "Ok. See, Tina, it's fine. Will you be able to take me home afterwards?"

"Of course," Tina said hesitantly. "But if you want to go with Puck, that's fine, I understand."

Rachel shook her head. "No, I think now is a perfect time to work on the song. Shall we work in the auditorium?"

Tina nodded. "Sure. I'm going to run to my locker and I'll meet you there."

They watched the Asian girl practically run from the room. "I've been ditched for Tina," Puck joked.

"I'm sorry, I know we had plans to study but this is the first time I've really seen Tina take the initiative like this in regards to a performance and I don't want to discourage her," Rachel said, regret tingeing her voice.

Puck shook his head. "It's really ok, Berry. I mean, it won't be the same as an evening full of our amazing chemistry but I'm sure you'll have fun."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Do you ever run out?"

He grinned and headed toward the door. "Not looking like it," he tossed back over his shoulder.

Rachel grinned and headed to the auditorium.

!

The auditorium was windowless and neither girl realized how long they'd been practicing or how late it was until Tina glanced at her watch. "Oh wow, it's almost nine," she said stooping to gather her things. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you so long."

"No problem," Rachel said easily. "I think we made a lot of progress."

Tina nodded as they headed for the parking lot. "Yeah, we might actually be able to pull this off. Well, I might," she amended. "There's no doubt you can."

"Tina, you need to have more confidence," Rachel admonished gently. "You have a very pretty voice."

"You and Mercedes are much better," Tina said automatically. "I can't sing nearly as good as you guys."

"You don't have to," Rachel said. "You have a completely different sound. Mercedes and I have big voices. You and Quinn don't, but that doesn't mean your voices aren't good or beautiful in their own right. It's just a different sound. Remember when Mr. Schuester gave you the lead on _True Colors_? You sounded amazing and that song would have sounded completely different if Mercedes or I had sung it. Sometimes power is good but sometimes understated is better."

Tina blinked at her mini monologue. "Thanks, Rachel. It's just hard to compete with you guys sometimes."

Rachel shrugged. "Then don't. We aren't supposed to be competing anyway, we're supposed to be making our group better, and we need a variety of skills and sounds to make that happen."

Tina nodded, thinking that made sense. She pressed the remote on her key ring and unlocked her car. She and Rachel put their things in the backseat and climbed into the front, reaching for their seatbelts. Tina turned the key in the ignition, frowning when nothing happened. She tried again, with the same results.

Rachel glanced over. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," Tina murmured. She tried again. Nothing. "The car won't start."

Rachel furrowed her brow. "Is your battery dead?"

Tina shook her head. "I don't think so. My lights work." She flipped her headlights on to demonstrate. "It just won't start."

"I'm afraid I don't know much about cars," Rachel said regrettably.

"Me either. I'll have to call my mom to come get us." Tina pulled out her cell phone only to discover it was dead. "Crap. This is not my day," she said apologetically.

Rachel nodded. "It's ok, I can call one of my dads," she said, searching through her bag for her phone. After several minutes of searching, she discovered it wasn't in her bag after all. "Oh no, I think I left it at home. I was charging it last night and I was in such a hurry this morning I must have forgotten to grab it."

Tina was quiet for a second. "What do we do now?"

Rachel sighed, looking out into the darkness beyond the parking lot. "I guess we walk," she said. "At least to my house and then one of my dads can drive you home."

Tina nodded. "Ok." They retrieved their book bags from the backseat and Tina locked her car again before they started walking. They'd only made it a few minutes before Rachel started giggling.

Tina looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

Rachel wiped a tear from her eye. "Can you believe us? This is the twentieth century and we have to _walk home_."

Tina laughed with her. "Yeah, in the time of AAA and cell phones and we still have to walk." They laughed together again.

"How's your chemistry grade?" Tina asked when they'd calmed down again.

"Better than it was," Rachel said, relief evident in her tone. "I am just awful at it and I'm so grateful to have Noah's help."

"I think he's happy to offer it," Tina said hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I think he likes you," Tina said quietly.

Rachel laughed again. "Oh, Tina, no," she said. "We've already done that and it was nice and everything but I don't think he feels that way about me anymore, if he ever did before."

Tina shook her head in disagreement but before she could respond movement further down the road caught her eye and she stopped talking.

Rachel followed her gaze and squinted into the distance before making out the shape of a person. A few steps closer and they could see it was a man, older than them, tall and lanky, walking toward them. His head was down and he wasn't paying very much attention to where he was going. Rachel felt the hair prickle on the back of her neck and she stepped closer to Tina. As they got closer the man raised his head and he nodded at Rachel. Tina stepped slightly behind Rachel to avoid colliding with the man. Rachel nodded back slightly to the man as they passed him.

Things must have happened quickly then but for Rachel time felt interminably slow. She heard a noise behind her and when she turned she saw the man had Tina, arm around her throat, knife pressed against her neck.

Rachel stood there gaping, unsure what to do. Her brain was having problems catching up to reality and she was having trouble figuring out what had just happened.

The man stared her dead in the eye. "You scream and I'll kill her," he warned.

Rachel stared at Tina, the Asian girl's terrified eyes the only thing she could see. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. How had this happened?

"Don't move," he warned and Rachel realized she had been moving backwards, away from the man. Away from Tina. She stopped in her tracks. She wouldn't leave her friend. Not with this man.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to control the disbelief in her voice.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said. "Just do as I say and I won't hurt you."

"My wallet's in my purse which is in my book bag," Rachel said. "I have cash, not much on me, but I have my ATM card and I can give you the PIN number. Also, I have two credit cards on me and you can have those." Rachel was aware she was babbling but, looking into Tina's frightened eyes, she couldn't stop. "I'm sure Tina has some money on her too, I can get it and-"

"Stop." The command was spoken in a soft voice but full of authority and Rachel audibly clamped her mouth shut. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said again.

"What do you want?"

"I'm doing a training exercise for the military," the man said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just do as I say."

Rachel looked him straight in the face and her stomach sank. She didn't believe his story, not for a second. Her lower lip started to quiver and she clenched her jaw to get control.

"I want you to unlace your shoes," he said to Rachel. She frowned at him and didn't move. "Now."

The authority in his voice was unmistakable. This was a man that was used to having people follow his orders. Rachel stopped and began unlacing her shoes. Her mind was racing a thousand miles a minute, trying to think of something, anything, that might get them out of this. She knew in the back of her mind that it was unlikely he would let them go. They'd seen him now, could identify him when they got away. No, it wasn't likely they'd be getting away easily.

Her hands shook as she held the shoelaces out to him. He beckoned her closer with the knife. She stumbled toward him, knees quaking badly. She locked her eyes on Tina's face as she got closer, unable to look at the man at such close proximity.

"Tie her hands together," he said, motioning to Tina. He turned her slightly and pulled her hands behind her back. "Tightly. I'll be checking them when you're done."

Rachel stared blankly at the laces before moving her gaze to Tina's hands. No, this couldn't be right. Shoelaces were meant for shoes and those go on feet, she must have misheard.

"Tie her hands. Now." Rachel furrowed her brow but knelt beside her friend, whispering a quick "I'm sorry" before binding the girl's hands tightly. Her hands were shaking and she had to re-tie it several times before it stayed.

The man pulled on Tina's bound hands several times. "Good. Now unlace her shoes."

Rachel numbly pulled the laces out of Tina's shoes, realizing what was going to happen next. When she handed him the laces he maneuvered Tina so she was facedown on the ground and gestured to Rachel with the knife. He pulled her hands behind her back and bound them more tightly than she had Tina's. He pulled Tina to her feet stood the two girls side by side in the middle of the road. He nodded once in approval. "Let's go."

He gave Rachel a shove and she stumbled forward, Tina beside her. He was leading them up the road, in the direction they'd been headed. Rachel glanced behind her. He was walking immediately behind them, eyes intent on their forms, knife still in hand. She glanced past him, looking for any sign of approaching headlights, but all she saw were their backpacks, abandoned by the side of the road.


	3. Chapter 3

!

Tina was terrified. She had no idea what had happened. She and Rachel had been talking, joking and then all of a sudden there was a man and he had a knife and it was against her throat. They had passed him on the road and it all happened so fast. He had brushed her with his arm and she had stumbled and he had grabbed her and suddenly he had a knife.

Rachel had looked as shocked as she was, standing there staring at them, her gaping mouth resembling a fish. If the situation had been different Tina would have laughed. She didn't dare laugh now, with the knife against her throat. She could feel the coldness of the blade and knew that it was real. The power of the man's arm against her throat made her sure he could do her harm if he really wanted to. And she was pretty sure he would eventually want to.

She watched Rachel struggle to pull herself together and saw her clench her jaw to keep her lip from trembling. Tina herself felt a vague sense of numbness settle over her. It felt almost like she was watching the scene on TV, watching someone else and not herself.

Rachel bound her hands and Tina heard her whispered apology and she wondered if the shorter girl knew she was crying. She didn't think so. The tears ran freely down Rachel's cheeks and Tina was sure she'd have wiped them off by now if she knew.

When her hands were bound Tina was put facedown on the ground and that's when she started to feel panicked. She couldn't see Rachel anymore, couldn't see the man. She knew their odds were very slim now and she hated turning her back on either of them.

She heard sounds though, and it sounded like Rachel was ok. She heard no sounds of pain, no screams or cries, and soon enough she was back on her feet, standing next to Rachel, who now had her hands tied behind her as well.

They were told to walk and Tina kept her eyes open, trying to stay alert for anything, anyone that might be able to help them. There was no one. They passed no cars, no other people. It was like a ghost town.

She searched her mind for possible ways to escape, any weapons they might be able to use if opportunity presented itself. She wished for her backpack, longed for the heavy textbooks that might give them a fighting chance, but their bags had been abandoned when he'd first grabbed her. She had her keys in her pocket and she thought maybe she could use the sharp edges as a weapon but she wasn't sure how much good it would.

She glanced down at Rachel, noting that the smaller girl had stopped crying. She didn't seem to have any sort of weapon on her either. Tina thought maybe the delicate XO necklace she wore could be used like her keys, but the chances were slim and the risk was high.

They walked side by side down the road, arms brushing against each other for comfort. They seemed to walk for hours but Tina knew it was more like minutes. As they neared the main part of town, Tina knew something was going to change. It would be too risky for him to march them right through the center of town like this; too many people knew them, and they could easily scream for help or run. Her attention was pulled from her thoughts by a vehicle sitting slightly off the road, flashers on. Her heart sped up. Could this person help them? How much time would they have to warm him?

As they got closer to the vehicle, Tina felt the man's hand on her arm. "There," he said, and she was given a small push in the direction of the van. He wanted them to go toward the van? That couldn't be right, she thought. Unless…

As she stepped up behind the van, the man stepped up beside her, pulling Rachel along with him, knife at her throat. He pulled set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the back door of the van. Tina's heart sank. It was his van. There was no hope of rescue here. The man kept a firm grip on Rachel's arm with one hand and reached inside the van with the other. Tina met Rachel's eyes. The shorter girl's eyes were wide, darting back and forth as if looking for help to come out of the woods on either side of the road.

Rachel met her eyes and shook her head frantically. Tina narrowed her eyes and quirked her head to show she didn't understand. Rachel shook her head again and gestured to the van. Tina understood. She didn't want to get into the van either. She didn't want to be moved. She wanted to stay here, where there was a chance of being discovered. They didn't appear to have a choice in the matter.

The man straightened, pulling a black bag from the van. He gestured to Tina to come forward. She did so hesitantly, still unsure of getting into the van. When she was well within his reach she felt a sharp pain in her arm and looked down to see a needle being retracted. A needle? He had stabbed her! But as her mind started clouding and she was pushed into the back of the van, she knew he hadn't stabbed her, but had injected her with something instead. She fought to keep her eyes open, fought to stay alert and conscious, but she lost the fight within minutes.

!

Rachel had felt an overwhelming sense of panic when she saw the van. She was afraid for the owner, afraid he might get hurt trying to help them. And then when the van's owner was revealed, her panic grew stronger. _He's taking us away_, she realized. _He's going to load us into this van and then the chances of us ever being found are slim to none_. She knew once they were in that van, it was as good as over. This man could take them wherever he wanted and do whatever he wanted to them and no one would have the first clue of where to even start looking for them. She did _not_ want to get in that van.

She was determined to fight if she had to. They weren't far from town now, she could see the lights from Main Street and she thought that maybe if she screamed loud enough she could draw some attention to them. She only needed a few seconds, if she could distract him for any length of time then maybe he would decide they weren't worth getting caught and let them go.

That changed when Tina gasped sharply and Rachel saw the needle go into her arm. Tina stared at the man in shock and he picked her up slightly and put her in the back of the van. Rachel thought she would fight him then, but one look into Tina's dazed eyes told Rachel all she needed to know: Tina had been drugged so she wouldn't fight back.

The man turned to Rachel and she tensed, but she did not run. She would not leave Tina, not alone. She opened her mouth and screamed, as loud as she could. A sharp blow to the face stopped her short and she stood dazed for a moment until she felt the needle pierce her arm as well. She opened her mouth and screamed again, even as she felt herself being picked up and thrown in the van beside Tina. She screamed louder and stopped only when the doors were closed, throwing the van into pitch black darkness. She shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. It was no use. Her head was laying on something soft and her eyes grew heavier, even as her brain formed one last coherent thought. _Someone, please, help us._

!

Puck felt something was off when he got to school Wednesday morning. He couldn't say what is was, not for sure, but the atmosphere was different, felt different. He shook it off and headed to his first class.

Rachel wasn't at her locker, he noted as he passed it, and he wondered if she and Tina were rehearsing again this morning. He had called to see if she needed a ride to school, but she hadn't answered her phone. He figured she either had a ride or her car was fixed.

He doodled on the side of his notes during health class and headed down the hall to Spanish with Schue when the classes changed. He took his seat in the back beside Mike, nodding to Mercedes as he passed. There was an unfamiliar face at the front of the room, a substitute teacher. Puck exchanged a look with Mike. Did this mean no glee club after school? Schue never missed glee and he missed teaching his classes even less. It was sure to be a much-debated topic at lunch.

A few minutes after the teacher introduced herself and started class, a light tapping on the door interrupted the lesson. The principal's secretary poked her head in. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said. "I need Mike Chang, Mercedes Jones and Noah Puckerman to come with me, please."

Puck shot a quick glance at the other two, but neither seemed to know what was going on. He shuffled to his feet and grabbed his stuff, ignoring the curious stares of his classmates. He heard Mercedes and Mike behind him as he followed the secretary down the hall to Principal Figgins' office.

They were led past the waiting area and directly into the principal's office and the mystery of Schue's absence was solved right away. Their teacher was standing beside Figgins, who was seated at his desk. They both looked worried, Schue more than Figgins. A glance around the office showed the rest of the glee kids, minus a few members. Quinn was seated in front of Figgins with Santana and Brittany, and none of them looked like they knew what was going on either. Matt stood beside Artie and Finn in the corner, talking quietly. The only ones that seemed to be missing were Rachel, Tina and Kurt.

"Guys, come on in," Schue said when he saw Puck standing in the doorway. "I know it's a little crowded but we'll have to make due."

Puck made his way behind the Cheerios and came as far into the room as he could. Mercedes and Mike followed him and they turned their attention to Figgins. Neither he nor Schue said anything. They seemed to be waiting for something.

Several minutes later the office door opened again and Kurt came in, followed by two people in police uniforms. Puck cast an uneasy glance around the group again. Were they in trouble? Had someone done something? And were they going to try to pin it on him, like they did with the stupid glist?

Figgins and Schue exchanged looks with each other and then the cops before looking at the kids in front of them. Schue sighed and stepped forward.

"There's no easy way to say this, guys," he said, exhaustion evident in his tone. "Rachel's fathers called and reported her missing late last night. Tina's mom called the police shortly after and reported her daughter missing as well."

No one said anything. It was so quiet Puck could hear each of his classmates' breath catch in their chest with the news. Missing. No way. Rachel and Tina? No way. Had to be a mistake.

One of the cops, the male, stepped forward. "Rachel Berry never came home last night. Her fathers called her cell phone and, after repeatedly not being able to reach her on it, they discovered the phone in her room. They believe she forgot it when she left for school yesterday morning. They said it's not like her to not check in and they're very worried."

The female cop stepped forward. "Tina Cohen-Chang also did not come home last night. Her mother called her cell phone several times and was sent straight to voicemail each time. She also says it's not like her daughter to not come home."

"The last time anyone has seen them was after school in glee club practice," Schue said. "We were the last ones to have definitely seen both girls. Anything you guys can remember would be helpful," Schue said, gesturing to the kids.

They looked at each other hesitantly, not sure what to say. The female cop stepped in again. "If you can tell us anything, it would be helpful," she said kindly. "Did they have plans to go somewhere? A shopping trip? To the movies? Did they mention going straight home?"

Puck stepped forward slightly, clearing his throat. "Uh, I can help with that," he said hesitantly, glancing at Schue. The teacher nodded encouragingly at him. "I was supposed to take Rachel home and help her study. Her car's in the shop so I offered her a ride. But after glee Tina had asked Rachel to practice their duet some more and Rachel didn't want to turn her down. They were going to practice in the auditorium and Tina said she'd give Rachel a ride home afterwards."

The male cop turned to him. "What time was this?"

Puck hesitated. "Right after practice. About…4:30? I think."

Schue nodded. "Practice ran a little short that day, we usually practice until 5:00, but we didn't yesterday. 4:30 sounds about right."

The cop nodded, making notes in his notepad. "What happened then?"

"Uh, Tina said she was going to her locker and she would meet Rachel in the auditorium. Rachel and I talked for a few minutes and then I left."

The female cop looked up from her notes. "You left first?"

"Yeah. We were talking and then I left. She was still there."

"Did she follow you? Had she started to leave?"

"No. She was still there. I turned as I was walking out the door to say something to her and she was still standing in the same place, laughing. She hadn't moved."

"What did you do next?"

"I went out to my car and went home."

"Which doors did you use? Did you see anyone in the hallways, anyone in the parking lot?"

"I used those doors," Puck said, gesturing to the front doors near Figgins' office. "I didn't see anyone in the hallway. There were a few cars in the parking lot but mostly on the other side, by the practice field. There was a little red car parked near mine but that was it."

"Tina drives a red car," Artie said helpfully.

The cops made more notes. "And you didn't see Tina at her locker or at her car?"

Puck shook his head. "No. I didn't see anyone from the time I left Rachel til the time I left. No one."

The cops nodded, their faces blank. "Did anyone else see Rachel or Tina after glee club? Did anyone hear from them? A phone call, a text, anything after practice?"

Puck's stomach sank as he watched his classmates slowly shake their heads. He was the last one, that they knew of, to see Tina and Rachel and he knew next to nothing. This just didn't make sense. Missing. How could they be missing? The word sounded so wrong, there was no way. These cops had to be mistaken.

"Could they have gone somewhere?" the female cop was asking. "Could they have gone somewhere and not told anyone? Somewhere they didn't want anyone to know about?"

"Could there have been a party? Somewhere they would get in trouble for going? A boy?"

The club shook their heads unanimously. "There's no way," Finn spoke up from the back of the room. "Not Rachel and Tina. They're not like that."

"Could they have run away?" the male cop pressed. "Gone off on their own?"

"You're not listening," Santana snapped. "They're not like that. Either of them. They wouldn't do that."

"These are good girls," Schue interjected softly. "Straight A students, involved in extracurriculars, good families. It would be completely out of character for them to have done this on purpose."

The female cop nodded, making more notes. "We understand, we just have to cover every base at this point."

Puck sat back in his chair as the cops conferred quietly with Schue and Figgins. He almost wished Rachel did have a secret boyfriend that she ran off to meet and drug Tina with her. He wished they had run away and not told anyone. Those options were much preferred over the conclusion they were all drawing now.

His attention was drawn away from his thoughts when another cop entered the office and whispered something to the cops. The male cop's face hardened and the female cop glanced back at the kids. Schue looked worried.

The male cop came forward. "I'm going to give you guys my card. If you think of anything else, please let us know immediately."

"Wait, that's it?" Quinn said, standing up. "What about Rachel and Tina? What about our friends?" she demanded.

"We're doing everything we can right now," the female cop soothed. "We've got some new information now and we have a place to start."

"A place to start?" Puck snorted. "I didn't know anything!"

"It's better than nothing," she assured him. "It's more than we had before." The cops withdrew to the hallway and the glee kids looked at each other helplessly. Brittany turned and put a comforting hand on Puck's arm. He fought the urge to shake her off when he saw the concerned look in her eyes, a look mirrored by the rest of the group.

"Kids, why don't you head back to class?" Figgins suggested. They all looked at him in disbelief. None of them could even fathom paying attention in class now, let alone actually learning something.

Schue stepped forward. "It's for the best, guys. I'll keep you updated if we hear anything. I'm going to cancel practice after school."

"Mr. Schue, no offense, but I think we all need practice," Artie spoke up. "Even if we don't actually practice. I don't think any of us will want to go home for awhile."

The rest of the kids spoke their agreement and Schue nodded. "Ok, guys, we'll meet in the choir room like normal. Head on back to class. I'll see you later."

!

By lunch the news was everywhere. The cops had sealed off the auditorium and were going through it with teams. Someone said a dog had even been brought in. The glee kids sat at their normal table, joined by Santana and Brittany, trying to ignore the gossip raging around them. It wasn't easy. Rumors and speculation flew, everything from the girls going to the mall to getting abducted by aliens.

Puck sat quietly as the group tried to keep the conversation light. He should have insisted he drive Rachel home last night, should have insisted she keep their plans, Tina be damned. He shook his head, instantly feeling guilty. He should have stayed, watching them practice, Rachel loved an audience. He should have done _something_.

Puck glanced up, feeling a light touch on his arm. Quinn. "It's not your fault," she said quietly.

"You don't know that," he mumbled.

"Of course we do," Mercedes said strongly. "Look, any one of us could have done things differently yesterday. Any one of us could have stayed with them or invited them somewhere with us. We didn't. We can't change that now."

"Wish I could."

"We all do," Brittany said. "I wish I had invited Rachel and Tina over to watch my cat to see if it opened my diary. Then they'd be here."

Santana patted her shoulder comfortingly. "We can't change anything now, Britt."

"There's no point thinking about what we should have done differently," Kurt spoke up. "We just have to hope that they're ok and that they're safe."

The conversation quieted and Puck glanced around the table. Everyone was shuffling their food around their plate, not really eating. Puck watched them for a full minute before he shoved his chair back and stood up. "I'm out of here," he said. He heard them protesting behind him and heard Finn tell them to let him go. He appreciated that. He headed to the locker room and changed into his practice clothes before heading out to the track to run laps.

!

By the time glee practice came around, the kids were glad for an escape. Puck walked into the choir room to find he wasn't the first one there.

"And then he asked if Rachel and Tina ran off to Vegas to get married," Mercedes was saying. "Can you believe that mess?"

"A freshman asked me if they ran off to marry the Jonas Brothers," Kurt said in a bored tone. "I considered telling her yes just to see what she'd say."

Santana spotted him standing in the doorway and nodded to him. "Hey."

He nodded back, moving from his spot against the doorjamb. "What's up?"

"Everyone's been bombarding us with questions all day," Mike explained. "Some of them are just ridiculous."

"Where have you been?" Quinn asked.

"Laps."

Santana crinkled her nose in disgust. "Explains why you smell like a sweat sock."

He glared at her. "I showered first, Lopez."

"If you say so."

He threw her another glare and when everyone else looked away, she sent him a small smile. He tried to give her one back. Out of everyone here she knew him almost as well as Finn did. Of course she knew he showered first. And what it meant when he went to run laps.

They engaged in idle small talk, sitting close together and not spread across the room like they usually were. When Mr. Schue came in, they quieted immediately.

"Mr. Schue, have you heard anything?" Artie asked hopefully.

Puck could tell from the look on Schue's face that he did in fact know something. And it didn't look like it was good.

Mr. Schue leaned on the piano in front of the kids. "Yeah, guys, there's some news. First, they found Tina's car. It was here at school, locked up tight. The good news is there was no sign of a struggle, no evidence of injury or anything like that. The bad news is that they weren't sure if the girls had ever made it there." He got up and started pacing the room. "There was no sign of struggle in the auditorium, nothing out of place. They brought a dog in and he picked up a trace scent and led them to Tina's car. So they're pretty sure the girls made it there last night."

"But they didn't take the car?" Finn said slowly. "Why would they not drive home?"

"Could be any number of reasons," Mr. Schue said. "They're having Tina's mom come down with the spare key to see if the car will start. They think maybe they had car trouble. And since Rachel didn't have her cell phone, she wouldn't have been able to call anyone."

"But Tina has a cell phone," Brittany pointed out helpfully. "I've seen her use it. It's really cute."

Mr. Schue nodded again. "They're not sure of anything at this point. They're just speculating. However, the dog picked up their scent trace from the car also. They followed it down the road a few miles and they found something."

Everyone leaned forward, waiting to hear the answer. "What, Mr. Schue?" Puck asked hoarsely. "What did they find?"

Mr. Schue looked down, composing himself. "They found backpacks. Two of them. They won't say for sure, but I get the idea the police think they belong to Rachel and Tina."

Puck felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. There was no way…if the backpacks were Rachel and Tina's….then where were the girls?

"What else?" Quinn said mechanically. "There's something else?"

"They followed the scent further down the road, just outside of town," Mr. Schue said in a soft voice. "It ended just off Main Street. There were fresh tire marks just off the side of the road and they think…well, they're not saying much right now."

"They think they were taken," Artie said, disbelief evident in his tone.

"What else did they tell you, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked quietly.

"They haven't told me anything, guys. But Rachel's dads are keeping me updated. They know how special she is to all of us and they know how worried about the girls we all are."

"She has to come back," Santana said. "I mean, she's Rachel."

"And Tina," Artie piped up.

Santana nodded. "And Tina. This is just…_wrong_."

Mr. Schue nodded. "I know, guys. Just remember, there's nothing definite yet. So far they're just missing. And maybe not even that. There's still hope." He took a deep breath and looked each of his kids in the eye. "Guys, I know this is hard, but we have to be here for each other, more now than ever. And if any of you need to talk, I'm always here and Ms. Pillsbury is too. We've gotta be strong and just have faith right now. That's all we can do."

Puck stared around the room at his friends and wondered, silently, if maybe there was something more they could all do. "Mr. Schue," he asked tentatively. "Is there…I mean, should we be looking for them? Out where the backpacks were found? Maybe they're still there somewhere…" he trailed off, not wanting to think about what it would mean if the girls were still out in the woods.

"Rachel's dads asked the same thing," Mr. Schue said. "The police are taking dogs through there right now and they don't want anyone else on the scene in case there's evidence to preserve. They promised to be thorough but told Rachel's dads they could organize something when they're done if they want to."

Puck nodded. "Tell them I'm in."

"Me too," Matt chimed in. One by one, the rest of the glee kids volunteered to join the search. Artie volunteered himself and his family to help make food and provide refreshments for anyone who participated in the search. Mr. Schue nodded, his eyes suspiciously bright, and promised to pass the information along to Rachel's dads.

Puck sat back in his chair and wished he could do more to find his friends. _Where are you,_ he wondered. _Where are you?_


	4. Chapter 4

!

Rachel came to slowly. She was aware of being jostled around, her body acted upon by gravity and something else. She was aware of complete and utter silence. There were no sounds, no permeation of this vacuum of quiet. She gradually became aware of the softness beneath her cheek, neither warm nor cool. She opened her eyes slowly, hesitant to be met with the bright light of the day.

Instead she was met with nothing. Pitch black darkness. She bit back panic and blinked her eyes again, trying to force them open. She came to the conclusion that they already were. She couldn't see anything. She raised a hand in front of her slowly, but could not see it. She brought it closer to her face, touching the tip of her nose. Still nothing. She worried she might be blind, that something had happened, but the longer she was awake the more she was remembering. She remembered being thrown into the back of a van and the darkness that came when the doors closed. She hoped that's what it was.

She listened intently around her but could hear no sounds. "Tina?" she called hesitantly.

A quiet voice answered back. "I'm here."

"_Where?_" Rachel asked, reaching her arm out in the direction of the voice. "I can't see."

Small fingers clasped hers. "Right here," Tina murmured.

Rachel sighed in relief and clung to Tina's hand. "Any idea where we are?"

"None. Did he hurt you? I passed out right away."

"No, but my arm hurts from the needle." Rachel said, rubbing the tender area gently.

"Mine too. What are we going to do?"

Rachel took a deep breath and heard Tina do the same. "We have to stay calm," she said. "We can't panic. We have to survive this."

"But how? We don't know where we are."

"Do you still have your watch?"

There was some shuffling and Tina took her hand out of Rachel's. A small light filled the space. "Yes," Tina said. "And it still works!"

Rachel sighed in relief and the two girls studied each other. Tina gasped suddenly and Rachel jumped. "What?"

Tina reached out and gently touched her face. It stung. "Your cheek. What happened?"

Rachel stared at her for a moment, confused. But when she touched her cheek and winced at the pain, she remembered. "I screamed," she confessed. "When he threw you in the van and came for me. I screamed, hoping someone would hear me. He hit me."

"Maybe someone heard you," Tina said hopefully.

"Maybe," Rachel said. "But we're probably miles away by now. Even if they heard us, they would have had to see the van, follow it. We can't count on that."

"I tried to take stock earlier," Tina said. "Weapons and such. All I have are my keys. Do you have anything?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. I have pepper spray in my purse, but that was in my backpack."

"I wish we had kept those," Tina said wistfully. "I don't even remember dropping mine."

Rachel shook her head. "Me either."

"Do you know any self defense?" Tina asked.

"Very little," Rachel admitted. "Not enough to be successful using it. But I can kick really hard."

Tina smiled slightly. "That's a skill we may be able to use. I know some basic karate but I've never had to really use it before so I don't know how confident I am in its ability to work."

Rachel thought for a moment. "We just have to wait for the right time," she decided. "If we have the element of surprise, anything can happen. We just have to wait for the right moment."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Tina spoke again. "Do you think anyone's looking for us?" she asked quietly.

"Absolutely," Rachel said firmly. "My dads know I am very responsible and when I did not come home last night, I'm sure they jumped right into action. I'm sure your mother did as well."

"I hope they find us."

Rachel took her friend's hand. "I hope so too."

!

The end of glee practice marked 24 hours that the girls had now been missing. The police considered it an official missing persons case now and had stepped up their efforts considerably. Rachel's dads had flyers made of the two girls and the glee kids had volunteered to distribute them.

Puck was currently walking with Quinn and Kurt in the mall, passing out flyers to everyone they passed, sticking them on bulletin boards wherever they could. They had decided to split into groups of three, and tried to keep more guys than girls in the groups. Groups were supposed to be safer, but Rachel and Tina had been together and no one was taking any chances now. Mercedes had gone with Matt and Mike and Artie and Finn went with Santana and Brittany.

"This isn't doing anything," Quinn snapped suddenly. "Everyone knows who Rachel is and no one has seen her. This isn't doing any good."

"It's getting the word out," Kurt pointed out. "If people know that they may have been taken against their will, they'll keep their eyes open and report anything suspicious."

"No, Quinn's right," Puck said darkly. "This isn't doing any good. We should be looking for _them_, not handing out stupid flyers with their picture on it."

Quinn stopped walking and touched his arm gently. "Hey, are you doing ok?"

He pulled his arm away roughly. "I'm fine."

"Look, I know you and Rachel are…close," Kurt said. "You can talk to us."

"Rachel and I aren't anything," he said harshly. "Just let it go."

Kurt opened his mouth again but a swift headshake from Quinn kept him from saying anything.

Puck sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Let's just keep going, ok?"

They nodded silently and followed after him.

!

Rachel and Tina sat huddled in the back of the van for what seemed like hours before the vehicle slowed, then rumbled to a stop. They glanced at each other uncertainly. What now?

Several minutes later the doors opened and the man was silhouetted in the opening, the night sky dark behind him. Rachel was immediately disheartened. They'd been travelling all night and day. They had to be very far from home.

"Get out." Again, the command was spoken in a soft tone, but the power behind it was undeniable. The girls glanced at each other, unwilling and unable to move. "Now."

Rachel scooted forward slowly, wincing at the stiffness of her unused muscles. She crawled out of the van and the man seized her arm instantly. She could see he had the knife out again. He nodded to Tina to come out and Rachel watched her friend crawl slowly out behind her. Rachel turned her head slowly, studying her surroundings. They were in a wooded area, not unlike where he had taken them. No lights could be seen in the darkness, so signs of a city nearby. A glance to her right revealed a small shack. It was so rundown it looked like a good wind would knock it over. Nothing else was visible in the darkness.

Once Tina was out of the van, the man gestured for her to walk toward the shack. He followed behind her, still gripping Rachel's arm. There was a padlock on the door and he handed Tina a small key, instructing her to open it. It took several tries for Tina to get the lock open and when she did, the man gestured for her to step inside, following behind with Rachel.

The shack was smaller than it looked from the outside, though Rachel hadn't been sure it was possible. It consisted of one main room. A second room was created with a curtain hanging from the ceiling. Rachel squinted in the darkness but couldn't see what it was.

"Go sit in the corner. On the floor." The man gestured to the spot with his knife, giving Rachel a slight shove in that direction. She huddled on the floor with Tina, watching the man's every move. He was digging in the black bag again and Rachel was afraid they were going to be drugged again. Instead, he came out with two granola bars, flinging one at each of them. "Eat. It's not much but it's all you're getting right now."

Rachel's stomach rumbled as she tore the wrapper open. She was starving and was reminded that it had been over 24 hours since she'd eaten last. Beside her, Tina was devouring her granola bar.

After they had eaten, Rachel watched the man nervously. It was hard to see in the darkness of the shack, but he appeared to be focused on something. She could see that he had the bag again, though she couldn't see what he was doing.

"What are you going to do with us?" she asked. He ignored her and she felt her frustration grow. "Why did you take us? Where are we?"

"Quiet," was his only response.

Tina squeezed Rachel's hand. Rachel squeezed back but continued her questioning. "What do you want with us? You could have had our money. People are looking for us, you know. They're going to find us."

He turned around and crossed the room and she felt the stinging sensation in her face before she knew what was happening. "I said be quiet."

She cradled her aching face, shocked that the attack had come so fast. That's twice he had struck her now. He obviously wasn't opposed to violence, though it seemed not to be his first option. Tina whimpered beside her and Rachel squeezed her hand tighter as she flexed her jaw. She winced. He had hit her on the same side, the same place, as the night before. There was definitely going to be a bruise.

Time seemed to drag on forever. The man could be heard moving behind the partition but they couldn't see him. Tina jingled the keys quietly in her pocket, reminding Rachel she had a potential weapon on her. Rachel shook her head slightly. She didn't think it was the right time. Not yet.

The man came back into the room and Rachel could see immediately that he was holding something in his hand. He approached them quietly and, lightening fast, grabbed her arm and she felt the sharp pain again. She had been drugged again. As she fought the haziness that instantly invaded her mind, she felt him move to Tina and she knew the other girl was being drugged as well. She fought to stay conscious, tried to think of something, anything, but her brain refused to focus. The world went black once more.

!

Puck lay in bed that night, knowing that sleep would not come. How could he sleep, knowing two of his friends were out there somewhere and no one knew where?

He had finished handing out the flyers with Quinn and Kurt, though no one knew anything helpful. It felt like such a waste of time, but he knew it was the only thing he could do right now. Mr. Schue had said the police were still combing the woods and the site where the backpacks were found, looking for any evidence or sign of the girls. So far there had been none.

His mother had heard about the disappearance, of course, and had already started preparing food for the Berrys and Tina's mom. Puck didn't personally understand the whole tradition of preparing food in situations like this, but his mom said people still had to eat. Puck didn't understand that either. He had no appetite whatsoever and he was sure the girls' parents didn't either. But his mom said he could stay home from school tomorrow and go with her to the Berry house to see Rachel's dads. He had jumped at the chance to miss school. None of the glee kids were going, the rumor mill was a little too much to take.

He wondered how Rachel's dads were taking things. Mr. Schue said that he spoke with one of them consistently, getting updates on the investigation. Puck was willing to bet that was her Dad. Her Daddy tended to be a little more emotional and Puck knew from his study sessions at Rachel's that the petite superstar was the apple of her Daddy's eye.

He rolled over restlessly, wondering not for the first time if she was ok. Was she hurt? Was she scared? Did she know they were looking for them, doing everything they could think of to find them?

Part of him, the selfish part, was glad that she and Tina were together. He was glad Rachel wasn't alone and hoped somehow that having someone with her would help her, help them both. He hoped they could hang on until someone found them.

Tears prickled his eyes unexpectedly and he blinked them away before closing his eyes. He hadn't done this in so long, not since his dad left, but that night Noah Puckerman closed his eyes and began to talk to God, asking Him to watch out for his friends, to keep them safe and bring them home soon.

!

Will Schuester sat at his kitchen table that night, glass of scotch clutched tightly in his hands. He wasn't normally a drinker, not by most people's standards. An occasional beer here and there, usually nothing harder. Tonight was different. It had been over 24 hours and two of his students were still missing. The cops had no suspects, no definite proof that they had been taken against their will, though that seemed to be the theory they were leaning towards.

It had been surreal getting that phone call late Tuesday night from Rachel's frantic father. Had he seen her? Of course, he had seen her at glee. Since then? Well, no. And then the news. The cops were quick to assume they were just parents overreacting to a rebellious teenage moment but Will knew better. Rachel wasn't like that. She was an old soul, one of the most responsible students he knew, albeit a little misguided sometimes. He knew there was no way she had stayed out without telling her fathers something, even if it was a lie. No contact from her meant bad things and they all knew it.

And then he found out Tina's mother had reported her missing as well. He was called into the police station in the early morning hours on Wednesday, asked about the girls, the last time he had seen them, what they had been wearing, if they had mentioned any plans. He had no answers to give and it had frustrated him beyond belief. They wanted to questions his kids and he had insisted on being there when they gave them the news. He knew the kids would take it hard and they did. Tina, quiet and shy as she was, was well-liked within the group. And despite Rachel's sometimes overbearing personality, she had made great strides with the other kids in the last year. They were a unit now and the news that two of their own were missing hadn't sat well with them.

The kids were shocked, to say the least. Some were afraid, some didn't believe it was happening. He had stood behind Principal Figgins and watched the emotions play across the kids' faces as they learned the news. He was briefly encouraged when Puck came forward with new information, but his hope died a little when the girls weren't found. The discovery of Tina's car, exactly where she'd left it the morning before, did little to restore that hope. That meant either the girls were taken before they had reached the car, most likely out of the school, or for some reason had abandoned the car. The discovery of the backpacks, abandoned by the side of the road, was the worst news yet.

Rachel's father, stoic through all of this, had broken a little at that discovery. He said the police wouldn't tell him definitely if the backpacks belonged to the girls, but he said Rachel kept her purse and identification in her bag, so if it was hers, they would have known right away. The fact that they hadn't dismissed the backpacks as evidence made everyone realize the truth: they belonged to Rachel and Tina.

The end of the scent trail next to fresh tire tracks was probably one of the worst things they could have found. It seemed to indicate the girls had been loaded up and driven away, and no one knew where.

Will swallowed hard and took a gulp of his scotch. He knew the odds, had heard the statistics. The first hour was critical in finding someone, and after that, the first 24 hours. The more time that passed, the larger the likelihood that the girls would not be found. At least, not safely. They could be miles away by now and no one had even the slightest clue where to start looking for them.

He shook his head firmly, getting up from the table to rinse his glass. He was going to stay positive, for himself and their families and his students. He had to. It was against the odds, but sometimes miracles happened. Sometimes people were found and brought home. It happened, not often, but it did happen. He would stay positive and believe, with all his heart, that his students would be returned safely home soon.

He had to believe that.


	5. Chapter 5

!

When Tina opened her eyes, her first thought was that she was alone. She could hear no movement from within the shack, no sign of their abductor. It was daytime, she could tell. There were small cracks in the shack walls, allowing shafts of light to drift into the small building. Now that she could see more clearly, she examined her surroundings. The shack was tiny, as they'd suspected last night, and there was no furniture to speak of. There was nothing but empty space this side of the curtain.

Tina glanced down at Rachel, finding her still out. She got slowly to her feet, pausing when her head spun. "Hello?" she called out cautiously. She didn't think the man was here, but she wasn't sure yet. "Hello?" she called again. When there was no answer she stepped forward cautiously. A board creaked loudly under her feet and she jumped, heart racing. She stayed still for moment but heard nothing more. She crept quietly toward the curtain, her heart beating loudly in her ears. She hesitated in front of it, then grasped it quickly and pulled it back.

The room was empty and Tina was relieved to see it was a small bathroom. It wasn't much, a toilet and a small sink, but it was something. She noted with disappointment that there was no mirror, no glass to break and wield as a weapon. This man was smart.

She headed back into the other room to wake up Rachel. They had to figure out a way out of here before the man came back and Tina wasn't sure how much time they had. She sat down next to her friend and took a moment to examine the girl in the daylight. She was pale and had dirt smudges on her face and Tina was pretty sure she would find the same on her own face. Rachel had a dark bruise blooming on her right cheek from where she'd been struck, twice now, and Tina was sure it would be tender for awhile.

Tina reached out and shook her arm gently. "Rachel," she whispered. "Rachel, wake up." Rachel groaned slightly in her sleep but did not move. Tina shook her harder. "Rachel, come on, wake up."

Rachel stirred before opening her eyes. "Tina?"

"Yeah. We're alone. He's gone."

Rachel blinked, trying to clear the cobwebs from her head. "Gone?"

Tina nodded, moving back as the other girl sat up. "Yeah. I woke up and he was gone. I don't know when he's coming back but I think we need a plan before he does."

Rachel nodded, wincing slightly. Tina frowned when her hand went to her stomach. "Are you ok?"

Rachel nodded again. "Just a little nauseous."

"I think it's the drugs. I got really dizzy when I stood up."

"It would be nice if he fed us before he drugged us. Real food this time," Rachel grumbled.

Tina smiled. "I have good news, though." She waited until she had Rachel's attention before continuing. "There's a bathroom on the other side of the curtain."

"A real bathroom? Thank god."

"Yep, toilet and sink. Not much but it's better than nothing."

Rachel nodded. "I'll take it," she decided. She stood slowly and began to walk the perimeter of the shack. It wasn't much, not larger than 6 feet by 6 feet. "It's nice to be able to see again," Rachel remarked, pacing back and forth. "What time is it?"

Tina glanced down at her watch. "10:00 in the morning," she reported.

Rachel stopped pacing. "We've been gone awhile," she said quietly. "Almost two days."

"They'll find us," Tina said reassuringly. "They have to."

"We need a plan," Rachel said slowly. Tina had known her long enough to know she was already working one out in her mind and stayed quiet. "I think our best bet is to hurt him. Attack him when he's not expecting it. Maybe when he first comes in the door…" Rachel trailed off and looked at Tina.

Tina's eyes widened. "The door!" They both rushed to the door, hoping beyond hope that it was unlocked and they could just walk right out. It wasn't. Tina sighed. "That would have been too easy, right?"

Rachel cracked a smile. "He probably put the padlock back on outside."

Tina nodded, fighting down her disappointment. "So what's the plan?"

"I think we need to attack him when he comes in," Rachel said. "If we get him right when he opens the door, he might be caught off guard and we may be able to slip out."

"What if we don't both get out?" Tina asked hesitantly.

"Whoever gets out goes for help," Rachel said firmly. "We have to take whatever chances we can get. If even one of us gets out of here, our chances are already way better than they are now."

Tina nodded, thinking quietly. After a moment she said, "What if he doesn't come back?"

Rachel stopped, pondering that. "He has to," she said finally. "He took us for a reason, kept us for a reason. There has to be a reason he keeps drugging us. I'm sure he'll be back. The question is when."

"Do you think it will be soon?"

Rachel nodded. "Today, for sure. And when he comes back, we'll be ready."

!

Puck was starting to wish he had gone to school. He could honestly say he had never been in a more uncomfortable environment in his life. He had gone with his mom to the Berry household first, taking a casserole of some sort that he doubted they would even eat. As predicted, her Daddy was in bad shape. He drifted from room to room, clutching a baby blanket her Dad said belonged to Rachel. It was purple with little gold stars on it and something in his chest had clenched painfully when he saw it.

Her Dad seemed more composed, although his eyes were very red. He had greeted Puck and his mom solemnly and the three sat at the dining room table that Puck was used to sitting at with Rachel during their study sessions. He swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat and listened as her Dad discussed what the police had told him.

After about an hour Mr. Schue showed up and joined the conversation. He didn't seem surprised to see Puck there and Puck figured Schue was taking it as hard as the rest of them were.

According to Rachel's Dad, the police still had no suspects but they had someone coming in from the FBI to do testing on the tire prints left behind. They said that since Rachel and Tina were underage they were putting together an Amber Alert statewide and it was going out that morning. They were also putting together a noon press conference to alert the community to the missing girls. Even as he explained these efforts, Puck got the feeling Rachel's Dad didn't think they were going to do any more good than he did.

A loud sob was heard from the next room and Rachel's Dad excused himself quickly, going to check on his partner, Puck's mom following behind him.

When they were alone Puck glanced over at Mr. Schue. "You look like hell," he said.

Schue chuckled. "You look in a mirror this morning?"

Puck shrugged. "Didn't really sleep last night."

Schue nodded. "Me either."

Puck eyed him critically. "Jack Daniels?"

Schue let out a dry chuckle. "Scotch."

Puck raised an eyebrow, impressed, but said nothing.

Schue shrugged. "I don't drink much usually but...well, I thought I'd make an exception last night."

They were quiet for a few minutes and Puck tried hard to forget the last time he was in this house, sitting at this table with Rachel. A study session for chemistry and she was fresh from dance class, still in her workout clothes. She had wanted to shower before studying, insisting she was gross, but he'd said no, that they were wasting study time. Really, he just thought she looked really cute. She'd gotten there moments before he had and her skin was still flushed from practice, hair up in that messy twist thing girls do with pieces coming down around her face. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful than right at that moment. He was going to tell her that, along with a thousand other things, but she'd gotten frustrated with one of the homework problems and had thrown her textbook across the room. He'd spent the next five minutes laughing at her instead.

Schue cleared his throat and Puck was drawn out of his thoughts. "They're doing everything they can," Schue said quietly. "They'll find them."

Puck glared at him. "You don't know that."

"No," Schue said after a moment. "But I believe that. I have to."

"Lots of people disappear and don't get found," Puck said stubbornly.

"Lots of people aren't Rachel Berry."

Puck grinned at that. It was true. "I miss her. Them," he said, catching himself. "I miss them."

Schue smiled at him fondly. "Puck, it's no secret how you feel about Rachel. And I think she feels the same about you."

Puck stared down at his hands. "I never told her," he said quietly. "I was going to but I didn't and she doesn't know."

"She knows."

"I never got to tell her," he repeated. He slammed his palm down on the table, startling Schue. "I should have made her keep our plans that night! Damn it!"

Schue stood up and rounded the table, putting a hand on Puck's shoulder. "You'll tell her," he said. "You'll have your chance. You have to believe that."

Puck closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. "I wish I could."

!

They waited all day in their positions. Finally, around 4:00pm, they heard the jingling of keys. The sound got closer and Tina tried to force herself to relax.

She was lying on the floor, close to the door. She tried to look unconscious. She hoped he would see her before he saw Rachel, who was trying to hide in the bathroom. Their hope was he would see Tina and think she was sick, maybe dead. They thought there was a chance he would rush to check on her before closing the door. She had a key, her largest one, hidden in her hand and would strike when the time was right. Rachel had another key and was going to come at him from behind when Tina had him distracted.

It was a risky plan, they both knew that. Neither girl was excited at the prospect of being so close to this man but their options were very limited at this point.

The sound of keys grew closer and Tina forced herself to take shallow breaths. She heard the key inserted in the lock, heard the man wiggle it a few times, curse a few times, and then the door was open.

He paused in the doorway, Tina could feel it, and she only hoped he didn't see Rachel first. Rachel was their element of surprise here and if he saw her, he would know they were up to something. He stepped cautiously into the room and Tina felt him stop beside her. She tried to calm her pounding heart, keep her breathing shallow and even. She tried to look dead. The light dimmed and she could hear his breath as he leaned over her. She counted slowly in her head.

1…he leaned further down…

2…he reached a hand out to her neck, checking her pulse…

3…she opened her eyes, lunging at his face with the key, clawing everything she could reach. She saw Rachel come from behind him, leaping on his back, trying to gouge his eyes.

The man roared and threw Rachel aside easily. She landed on the floor by the door and Tina saw her hesitate.

"Run!" Tina yelled. "GO!"

"I don't think so," the man growled, lunging for Rachel as her hand found the knob. She pulled the door open just as he grabbed her by the hair, yanking her back forcefully. She cried out in pain and he pulled harder, forcing her to her knees.

Tina watched, eyes wide, heart sinking. They had failed. And now he was very angry. But she couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied as she took in the angry wounds on his face. She had gotten him on the nose, across the cheeks, under the ears. Rachel had gotten him under both eyes and the marks were very visible and probably would be for several days. _Maybe someone would see them_, Tina thought. _Maybe someone would question where he got them. If he ever left them alone again…_

"I told you to do what I said!" the man raged, shaking Rachel by the hair again. She whimpered but held her tongue. "You should have done what I said! Now I have to punish you!"

Tina watched in horror as the man withdrew the knife from his jacket pocket. "That wasn't very nice," he growled, tightening his grasp on Rachel's hair, running the tip of the knife along her neck. Silent tears rolled down her face, but she still did not speak. "Haven't I been nice to you? I gave you food and a place to live. Well, I'm not going to be so nice anymore." Without warning, the man plunged the knife deep into Rachel's left shoulder and she screamed in pain. Tina screamed with her. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to contain herself as she watch Rachel's shirt darken with blood.

The man shook Rachel again before tossing her on the floor next to Tina. "This is your first and only warning," he said darkly. "Next time I won't be so gentle."

Tina cowered by Rachel's side as the man walked around the curtain to the bathroom. Moments later Tina heard the sink turn on, the sound of running water filling the room. She placed her hand over Rachel's wound, pressing hard. Rachel whimpered again and Tina shushed her. "Keep pressure on it," Tina whispered. "We have to keep pressure on it."

"He stabbed me," Rachel whimpered. "He stabbed me."

The man came back into the room, wiping the now clean knife off with a towel. "That little stunt cost you your dinner," he said coldly. "I hope you're happy." He glared darkly at them again before opening the door of the shack and leaving. The lock could be heard outside and then no more sounds were heard.

!

Their plan was almost doomed from the start, Rachel knew that, they both did. But they also both knew their options were limited right now and that the longer they stayed with this man, the worse their chances were.

They had underestimated him. The surprise of the attack was momentary and his strength was more than they had anticipated. Rachel hadn't even considered it. She realized as she was flying through the air, bucked from his back, that she should have. She had hit the floor hard, knocking the wind out of her. She locked eyes with Tina and the Asian girl had screamed at her to run, to get out. But the man was quicker than she was, reaching her just as she'd opened the door, so close to freedom. She felt the sharp pain in her head as he yanked her around by her hair.

She sat silently at his feet as he raged at them, shaking her by the hair. She gritted her teeth and tried not to cry out when he ran the knife along her neck. _Please don't_, she begged silently. _Please don't_. When she felt the intense burning pain in her arm, she looked down to see the red bloom spreading across her shirt and she didn't know what happened. He threw her again and she landed on the floor next to Tina, able to think of nothing but the burning pain in her arm. They huddled there together as he yelled some more, cleaning his knife in front of them. That's when she realized what had happened: he had stabbed her.

They sat huddled together in the corner for what felt like hours, afraid to move, afraid he would come back. Finally Tina gathered her courage and stood up. "Keep pressure on your arm," she told Rachel. "I'm going to find something to stop the bleeding." Rachel covered the wound with her right hand, not able to stand putting much pressure on it, and watched as Tina moved into the bathroom. She came back out with a towel.

She removed Rachel's hand gently. "Here, let me," she said softly. The wound was deep, she could tell, and was bleeding a lot. She pressed hard against it and Rachel hissed in pain. "We've got to get out of here," she said. "You need to get to a hospital."

"It hurts," Rachel whimpered. Her arm felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside out. She didn't dare move. Everything hurt, everything jostled her already painful shoulder.

Tina sat down beside her and pulled her down so her head was in her lap. She lay on her right side, one of Tina's hands pressing the towel against her shoulder, the other stroking her hair softly. She closed her eyes as the Asian girl started to song softly. "You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged, oh I realize it's hard to take courage, in a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all and darkness inside you can make you feel so small..."


	6. Chapter 6

!

Puck sat in his room Thursday night, strumming idly on his guitar. He had spent the day with the Berrys and with Tina's family. Tina's mom was taking the disappearance very hard. She told them that she had gone to the school with the extra key to Tina's car, like the police had asked. It hadn't started and the police thought the girls had had car trouble that night. They weren't sure why they hadn't called for help. Tina's mom had searched her daughter's room and had not found her cell phone and was confident that her daughter was carrying it with her. They wondered if maybe the girls had been taken before they'd been able to call for help.

Rachel's dad had told them that the police were still working with the FBI on identifying the tire tracks by the side of the road. Puck decided he would never look at a crime show the same way again. They made things look so easy and fast, but in reality, this shit took forever. The Amber Alert on the girls had started running and the cops had opened a tip line for any information people might have. The press conference at noon that day had given basic descriptions of the girls, shown their picture and given their last known whereabouts. And they still hadn't found them.

He glanced down at his guitar and realized he was strumming _Sweet Caroline_. He smiled slightly. Stupid song, he had learned it when he first started playing guitar because it was one of his mom's favorites. Turned out to be one of Rachel's favorites as well. She had looked at him in such wonder when he sang that song to her the first time, as if she couldn't believe he was singing it to her. She had blushed slightly, her eyes bright as she'd sung along to the chorus with him.

He chuckled lightly, fingers still strumming the chords. It was such a punk move, he knew, so unlike him. But her reaction had been worth it. She'd looked so beautiful sitting there, smiling at him, and she was the only thing he'd seen at that moment. If she'd just come back, he would play her _Sweet Caroline_ every day until he died.

He was worried. He knew that every day they were gone, every minute, was worse for their case. The cops had no suspects, no evidence other than the tire tracks and not much else to go on. Every day the girls could be getting further and further away. Or something worse.

Puck struggled against the sudden tightness in his chest. No. He wouldn't think that. Couldn't. They were alive. They had to be. And someone was going to know something and call the tip line and they were going to find them. Alive. They had to.

He didn't know what he'd do if they didn't.

!

_Rachel brushed back the strands of hair that had come loose in frustration. She glared down at her chemistry book, then at her homework sheet. It didn't make sense. None of her answers were right and she was doing them just like Noah told her to. She glared harder and tried again. Checking her answer against Noah's, she saw it still was not right. She groaned in frustration, picking up her textbook and flinging it across the room. She stopped in shock and looked over at Noah. His lips were pursed like he was going to say something, but he wore a look of shock as well. His startled eyes met hers and he started laughing. _

_She crossed her arms over her chest. "It's not funny."_

_He laughed harder. "You threw your chemistry book across the room. It _is_ funny."_

_She glared at him. "Stop laughing."_

_He doubled over the table, trying to catch his breath between his laughter._

"_I'm going to hit you," she said petulantly, sticking her lower lip out._

_He grinned at her as his laughter slowly subsided. "Easy, babe. Didn't get the right answer?"_

"_None of them! I don't understand! Statistically, I should have gotten at least some of them right!"_

_He got up from the table and retrieved her chemistry book. He returned the book to its place in front of her. "Try again."_

_She groaned and put her head down on the table. "It's no use. I'm going to fail chemistry and then my GPA will be shot and Julliard will never want someone that failed chemistry."_

_He grinned at her dramatics and scooted his chair closer to hers. His thigh brushed hers. "It's not that bad. Let's try it again. Look, you just forgot to transfer some electrons here, you almost had that one. And this one…ok, this one isn't even close, but we'll fix it."_

_She raised her head from the table and looked at him woefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she said seriously. _

_His eyes glittered. "Good thing you don't have to find out."_

_They locked eyes and she felt her breath catch in her chest, her heart constrict painfully. He had the most beautiful eyes. She leaned in closer, her gaze moving to his lips. He leaned in and she felt the ghost of his breath on her face. Just a few more inches and…_

_His phone rang suddenly, starling them both. They jumped apart and he pulled his phone from his pocket. "Mom," he mumbled. "I've gotta head home soon."_

_Rachel nodded, flustered. "Ok. I think I can do the rest on my own."_

_He nodded. "Make note of the ones you have problems with and we'll work on them."_

_She nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Thanks, Noah. See you at school tomorrow."_

"_Rachel. Rachel, wake up."_

_She looked at Noah, but his mouth didn't move._

"_Rachel, wake up."_

Rachel jolted awake and looked up at Tina. The Asian girl looked at her in relief.

"You need to stay awake," Tina said softly. "How's your arm?"

Confused, Rachel sat up, hissing when the burning pain filled her arm. "Still hurts," she said.

"Do you think we should try to wash it out?" Tina asked. "Keep it clean?"

Rachel winced. "I don't know. Maybe just dab it with a wet cloth. I could use a drink, though."

Tina nodded. "Me too. Can you stand?"

Rachel got to her knees, bracing her good arm on the floor. She struggled to her feet, staggering a little when a wave of dizziness hit her. "Whoa," she said, her hand going to her forehead.

Tina grabbed her arm gently. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just a little dizzy," Rachel said faintly.

Tina frowned. "You've lost a lot of blood. We really need to get out of here."

"Right now I just need some water."

Tina helped her into the bathroom and turned on the sink. Rachel cupped her right hand and brought the water to her mouth, drinking thirstily. The water was cool and refreshing on her parched throat but her empty stomach gurgled and she felt a wave of nausea. She straightened up gingerly. "I think I'm done."

She stood aside while Tina drank, and then watched as her friend carefully wet the blood-soaked towel. "This might hurt," Tina warned. Rachel gritted her teeth and looked away.

Hurt was an understatement. But Rachel bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut as Tina bathed the wound as gently as she could.

"I think I'm done," Tina said after a few minutes. "We need something to wrap it with to keep it clean." They searched the small shack but found nothing.

Rachel eyed the curtain separating the two small rooms. "Maybe if we could cut a piece of the curtain…"

Tina fingered the curtain thoughtfully. "It's pretty thin, I might be able to tear it," she said. She gripped the edges tightly and pulled. It tore easily and she tore a large strip off. She wrapped it tightly around Rachel's arm, trying not to notice her friend's pain. "I think that will be good," Tina said, leaning close to inspect her work. "Does it hurt?"

"It's not too bad," Rachel lied. "But I think I need to go sit down." Tina supported her a little more on the walk back and both girls slumped tiredly against the wall again. "What time is it?" Rachel asked dully.

Tina checked her watch. "Almost 11:00pm."

Rachel closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. "We're never getting out of here," she whispered.

Tina looked at her in shock. "Rachel! Yes we are! Someone will find us. We're going to be fine."

Rachel opened her eyes, blinking away tears. "What does he want with us?" she asked. "Why did he take us and why is he keeping us? I don't understand."

Tina felt her own eyes tear up. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "We just have to keep hoping. We're in this together and we're going to be ok."

Rachel nodded, closing her eyes again. "I hope so," she said tiredly. "I really hope so."

!

Tina stayed awake most of the night, keeping watch over her friend. It had scared her when Rachel started giving up. Rachel Berry was a fighter through and through and if she was giving up…well, Tina decided that she was not going to let that happen. They were going to be ok.

She glanced over at Rachel as she shifted in her sleep. Small beads of sweat had started to break out on her forehead and when Tina touched her face gently, she found the skin cold and clammy. She frowned and checked her shoulder wound again but the makeshift bandage was holding and it wasn't bleeding much anymore. Tina rubbed her eyes tiredly. They had to get out of here.

She started thinking about everything she had learned about self defense, about protecting yourself. She thought about all the survivor shows her mother had loved. They needed a plan if they were going to get away. If only they could get the knife away from him, their odds would be greatly improved. He was still much stronger than them, but Tina figured having the knife would give them a vast advantage. If only there was a way to get it…

Glancing over at Rachel's sleeping form again, a plan started to form in her mind. It wasn't much and it was pretty much completely dependent on chance events, but it could work. It was the best she'd come up with so far.

"We're going to get out of here, Rach," Tina whispered to her sleeping friend. "We're going to go home."

!

_Rachel opened her eyes slowly when she heard the door creak open. She saw sneaker-clad feet enter the room and fought to focus her eyes. A figure stopped by her head and stooped down. _

"_Rach," he whispered._

_Rachel blinked. She knew that voice. "Noah?" She raised her eyes to his gorgeous hazel ones._

_He grinned. "It's me."_

_She sat up slowly. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I'm here to rescue you."_

_She narrowed her eyes at him. "Isn't that a line from Star Wars? Please tell me your rescue will go better than Luke Skywalker's did."_

_He winked at her. "Of course, babe. It's me."_

_She rolled her eyes and he reached down to help her up. He pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent. "I'm so glad you found me," she whispered._

"_Me too." His arms tightened around her and she leaned further into the embrace._

"_I missed you."_

_He nuzzled the top of her head. "Of course you did."_

_She huffed in annoyance and felt his chest rumble beneath her cheek when he laughed. "I missed you too," he admitted. "But I'm here now and we're going home."_

"_Where's Tina?" Rachel asked, pulling away from him._

_He looked at her, confused. "Tina? Tina's not here."_

_Rachel looked around her but the shack was empty. "Tina," she called._

"_Rach, Tina's not here," Noah said._

"_Tina!" Rachel called again. "TINA!"_

"Tina!" Rachel gasped, opening her eyes, shooting upright.

Tina was by her side instantly. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Rachel looked at her friend in confusion, then at her surroundings. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to calm her beating heart. A dream. It was just a dream. Noah wasn't here, they weren't saved.

"Nothing," she murmured. "Just a bad dream."

Tina looked at her in concern, but nodded. "Ok. Listen, I think I have a new plan. It's not guaranteed to work, it probably won't, but we need to do something."

Rachel's mind was hazy from hunger, exhaustion and pain as Tina started detailing her plan but she forced herself to focus. This was important, this could get them home.

"That might work," Rachel said slowly when Tina had finished. "But do you think he'll be that careless?"

Tina shrugged. "I don't know. It's worth a shot, though, don't you think?"

Rachel shuddered. "Anything's better than spending any more time in here."

Tina nodded solemnly. "I'm with you. We just have to be ready when he comes in. This may be our last shot."


	7. Chapter 7

!

Puck lay awake in his bed early Friday morning. His alarm clock had gone off an hour ago but he wasn't going to school again. He knew he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep but he made no move to get up. He stared at the ceiling, his mind racing.

Three days. This made three days the girls were missing. The police hadn't said anything specifically but Mr. Schue said Rachel's Dad thought they were giving up. He said their efforts seemed less concentrated now, knowing it wasn't very likely the girls would be found alive.

He refused to believe that. When he thought of Rachel Berry he thought of life. She was energetic, always talking, always moving, never still. He refused to believe she ever could be. She was out there, somewhere, her and Tina, and no one had found them yet. They had to find them.

Sighing deeply, he flipped over on his side and tried to clear his mind. Maybe he could catch a few more hours of sleep…

!

It was early in the morning when they heard the telltale jingling of keys again. The sun had just started to rise, providing a little light in the shack but not enough to see completely clearly. Tina thought that would be to their benefit.

She lay completely still next to Rachel and tried to keep her breathing even. She hoped his first reaction upon finding them "sleeping" was not to drug them again. This would not work if they were impaired in any way. She squeezed Rachel's hand gently and Rachel squeezed back before they pulled apart and stilled.

The door opened slowly, as if the man were expecting an ambush. No sound was heard for several seconds and Tina thought he must be studying them, watching them for any sign of movement. She tried to give none.

Time seemed to drag on but finally the man moved into the room, closing the door behind him. Tina held her breath as the man stood over her and Rachel. She fought to keep her face expressionless, her breathing smooth and even. It must have worked because the man stepped away and Tina could hear his footsteps retreating.

She cracked her eyes open. She could not see him but she hadn't heard the door open so she knew he hadn't left. She heard a faint sound from the bathroom, water running, and she nudged Rachel quietly and made a gesture. This was their time.

She stood up as quietly as possible, taking a step forward, making sure to avoid the creaky board she'd discovered their first day here. They crept silently toward the bathroom and Tina could see the man bent over the sink, eyes closed, splashing water on his face. The knife lay unattended on the sink beside him.

Tina's heart leapt. This was it. She gestured to Rachel and crept forward. Time was precious now, he wasn't going to be in this position forever. She took one more step and felt Rachel move up behind her. She reached for the knife, slowly. Her fingers had just grasped the handle when the man straightened, opening his eyes.

"What the hell?" he yelled.

Tina wrapped her fingers around the knife, pulling it to her as he reached for it. She felt Rachel grab her arm and the two girls retreated backwards a step.

"You give me that," the man growled.

Tina shook her head, hands shaking slightly. "No."

They continued retreating backwards, towards the door, as the man stalked towards them. "I told you to do what I say," he seethed. "Give me the damn knife."

She heard a rattling sound and knew Rachel had reached the doorknob. Light slowly filled the room as Rachel inched the door open.

The man lunged at them then, thinking they were distracted by their escape. His fingers closed painfully over Tina's wrist but she kept her hold on the knife. The man twisted her arm, trying to break her hold but she held firm. Then he grinned at her and his fingers pressed against a spot on her wrist and she lost all control of her fingers. The knife clattered to the floor.

"No!" Rachel yelled, diving for the knife.

The man dove after her and Tina watched silently as the man pulled at Rachel, twisting her, trying to get to the knife. He turned her on her back and his face froze in a mask of pain. Rachel kicked her way out from under him and Tina could see the knife buried in his side.

"Run," Rachel gasped. "Tina, run!"

Tina grabbed Rachel's arm and they sprinted out the door, not stopping to look back at the man behind them.

!

Puck sat at the kitchen table with his mom, both drinking steaming hot coffee. The Friday morning paper lay unopened between them, Rachel and Tina's faces on the front under the headline _Have You Seen Me? _He usually read the sports page in the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to pick it up, couldn't tear his eyes from her face.

They had used a good picture, he noticed, not her yearbook one like they'd used for the flyer. He thought it was a picture from a glee event but he wasn't sure. She looked relaxed and happy and his chest tightened as he wondered if he would ever see her that way again.

Someone knocked on the front door and his mom got up to answer it, touching his shoulder briefly as she went by. He closed his eyes, wishing things were simple like they used to be, when a mother's soft touch could fix just about anything.

He heard his mother come back moments later and he opened his eyes again. Mr. Schue was with her. She gestured for him to take a seat and she poured him a cup of coffee. Puck watched him subtly. He looked like hell, like he had been sleeping about as much as Puck had. Puck watched as he ran his hand through his unruly hair and sighed.

He waited until Puck's mother had come back and then cleared his throat. "They had a tip come through the tip line," he said quietly. "It's nothing big, it won't break the case wide open or anything, but it pretty much confirms the theory that the girls were taken."

Puck cleared his throat. "What is it?"

"Rachel's Dad called me this morning, apparently several people called the tip line and reported hearing loud screams early Tuesday evening. The times vary slightly but they apparently all heard screams in different locations on Main Street between 9:30 and 10:00pm."

Puck swallowed hard. "So they were taken."

Schue nodded. "It's looking like that, yes. But the cops, they're not saying for sure. They told Rachel's Dad that this didn't prove abduction one way or the other. But the FBI is treating it as such."

"Did the tire tracks ever turn up anything?" Puck's mom asked.

Schue shook his head. "I don't know, her Dad didn't say. I didn't want to ask. It's wearing on him more every day, so I didn't want to pry."

Puck's mom sighed softly and looked over at him. "I can only imagine. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to one of my children."

"They'll find them," Puck said roughly, pushing back his chair. "They're going to find them! Everyone needs to stop acting like they're gone for good!"

"Noah, no one's doing that," his mom said soothingly.

"The cops are," he said dejectedly. "They're acting like they're looking for bodies now or something."

Schue and his mom were both quiet and avoided his gaze. His eyes widened and he slumped back in his chair. His heart pounded in his chest and suddenly he couldn't breathe. "Oh God, they're looking for their bodies now, aren't they?"

His mother took his hand and he felt how cold and clammy his was in her warm one. "They're still looking, Noah, and that's what's important. No one had stopped looking. No one is giving up yet. And you shouldn't either."

"I'll never give up," he said, gazing at Rachel's smiling face on the cover of the newspaper. "I'll never give up."

!

As they crashed through the underbrush, Tina struggled to keep a hold on Rachel's arm. The girl was lagging behind but all Tina could think was how they needed to get away, far away, before he caught up with them.

They ran aimlessly, not having any idea where they were or where they were going. A dull throb started in her side but she tried her best to ignore it and keep running. She could hear Rachel gasping for breath behind her.

"Tina," Rachel gasped. "Please. Slow down. A break. I need a break."

"We can't," Tina said, pulling the girl's arm harder. "If we stop, he might catch us."

"I don't think he's going to be getting up anytime soon," Rachel said numbly.

"We don't know that. Now, please, run," Tina urged.

Rachel took two more faltering steps, then picked up her pace slightly. Tina led the way, pushing aside trees and branches with her spare arm. She thought the trees were thinning out but she wasn't sure. When the forest suddenly opened up onto a paved road, she knew she was right.

They stood at the edge of the road for a few moments, Rachel doubled over at the waist, gasping for breath, Tina nervously scanning their surroundings. After a few moments Rachel stood up.

"Where do you think we are?" she asked.

Tina shook her head. "I don't know. But I think we should stay on the road. A car has to come here eventually, right?"

Rachel nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's get out of here."

!

They had been walking (yes, Rachel had finally gotten Tina to consent to slow their pace to a quick walk) for what seemed like hours, but Tina reported it had only been fifteen minutes or so. The Asian kept glancing behind them as if the man were going to burst out at any moment. Rachel didn't think so. She had seen the knife, felt it slide into him. She didn't think he'd be going anywhere anymore. She closed her eyes, fighting the memory, trying to ignore the pain in her side and her arm and the dizziness that threatened to overtake her with each step.

They walked a few more minutes before Rachel paused, turning her head to the side, listening. Tina grasped her arm fearfully, checking over her shoulder.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Rachel shook her head, motioning her to be quiet. After a moment she said, "I think it's a car."

Seconds later, a car came around a curve in the road, stopping short of the two girls. They ran up to the car.

"Help us!" Tina yelled. "Please, my friend's hurt, we need help."

"There's a man back there, I think he's dead," Rachel added. "Please, call 911."

The man's eyes widened as he looked them up and down. Rachel glanced down and saw they were both filthy and completely covered in blood. The man swerved back onto the road and floored the accelerator, speeding away into the distance.

Tina gaped at the retreating car. "He left us," she whispered. "He just left us here."

Rachel could hear the tears in her voice and reached her hand out to take Tina's. "Let's keep walking," she said quietly. "We have to keep going."

It was another hour before they saw another car and they were so desperate they stood in the middle of the road when they heard it coming. The brakes screeched as the car came to a stop and they both ran up to the car. The driver was a woman, alone, and looked frightened.

"Please help us, we need help, there was a man and he took us and he had a knife," Tina said in one breath.

"We need help and a man stopped but he drove away when he saw us and we need help," Rachel rambled.

"Please help us," Tina sobbed. "Please."

The sound of automatic locks could be heard and the woman gestured to the backseat as she pulled out a cell phone. "Get in."

!

Puck was sitting at the dining room table with his sister, helping her with her homework when the phone rang. They were long past the days when everyone jumped at every phone call and he let his mother answer it. He heard her say "What? Oh my God. Oh my God!" and start crying. He raced into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, eyes wide with panic.

His mom cried and clutched the phone to her chest. "They found them, Noah," she whispered, more tears falling. "They found them, alive. They're ok."

His knees buckled then and he slid down the doorframe until he was resting on the floor. He rested his head on his bent knees and took deep breaths. His mother said a few more words, then came to him and put her arms around him, holding him as they both sobbed.

!

Will Schuester was visiting the Berrys when they got the call. The phone rang and Rachel's Daddy quietly excused himself to answer it. They heard him sob from the kitchen and both men tensed up. He came back, crying openly, but smiling. "They found them," he sobbed. "They're ok. They found them."

As the Berrys embraced, Will let out a choked laugh and wiped the tears streaming down his face. _They're ok_, he thought, smiling wider. _They're ok and they're coming home._

Shortly afterwards, the police detective that had been working the case showed up at their door with a smile on his face. He was greeted with hugs and handshakes, slaps on the back. Puck and his mom showed up shortly afterwards. It was then they found out what had really happened.

"A 911 dispatch operator received a call approximately an hour ago. A woman in Dayton reported picking up two injured teenage girls on the side of the road and indicated there was an injured man as well. She gave the names of the two girls and said she was transporting them to the nearest hospital," the detective said calmly. "Upon learning the identities of the two girls and pulling up the recent Amber Alert, the dispatcher had patched the woman through to us. We contacted the Dayton PD to have them ready and we sent detectives down there immediately."

According to a preliminary statement given by Tina, the detective said, the girls had had car trouble on the way home Tuesday night and Tina's cell phone had died. They had started the walk home when they were abducted and forced to walk up the road to a van. She said they were drugged, put in the van and driven away. They had spent the last few days in a shack in the middle of nowhere. They had managed to escape, though the detective didn't specify how, and flagged down a passing car.

Schue saw all the holes in the story. Why was the statement only from Tina? Didn't Rachel give one as well? How did they manage to escape? Wouldn't they have escaped right from the beginning if it were that easy? And what had happened to their abductor? Had he been caught? Schue knew there was more to the story, but the detective wouldn't say anything else. He said he was on his way to Dayton to personally interview the girls.

Rachel's dads eagerly said they were driving down as well, and invited Schue to join them. He accepted and nodded slightly in Puck's direction. Rachel's Daddy grinned.

"Noah, would you like to ride down to Dayton with us? I believe there's plenty of room."

Puck's eyes lit up and Schue grinned. "Absolutely." Puck's mom cleared her throat. "Uh, thank you," Puck mumbled.

Rachel's Dad laughed, tears still in his eyes. "You're welcome. I know you've been worried too." He stood up from the table and looked at the detective. "Now if we're done here, I'd like to go bring my baby home."

!

The drive to Dayton was over an hour long, even with Rachel's Dad speeding like a maniac. Puck fidgeted in the backseat beside Mr. Schue, eager to see his friends again. The good news had spread fast and Tina's mom and Artie and his father were following in a car closely behind Rachel's Dad. Puck's phone kept lighting up with text messages.

From Finn: _Tell them it's good to have them back safe and we all miss them._

From Mercedes: _Tell Rachel next time she wants a solo all she has to do is ask, no more drama mama moments! :)_

From Quinn: _Now you can stop sulking! Give them hugs, glad they're safe!_

The rest of the club sent various messages and Puck grinned as he read them all. Rachel and Tina were a part of the group and they had been sorely missed and it was obvious everyone was glad to have them back.

He glanced anxiously at the clock. Another ten minutes. He sighed impatiently and Rachel's Daddy chuckled.

"Relax, Noah," he said. "We're almost there."

Puck glared at the back of the man's head. "Like you're not as ready to be there as I am."

"Of course I am. They weren't clear about the condition of the girls; we were just told they were both alive and safe. That could mean anything." He sighed. "I just want to see for myself and hold my baby in my arms again."

"We're almost there," Rachel's Dad said soothingly. "A few more minutes."

They hit traffic and a few minutes turned into fifteen and by the time they reached the hospital and parked, each man was eagerly throwing their car door open and jumping out. They waited somewhat impatiently as Artie's chair was unloaded from the car and they all headed in together.

Rachel's Daddy put his arm around Tina's mom. "I'm so glad our girls are safe," he said.

She squeezed his arm excitedly. "Me too."

The detective led them to an elevator and they rode up several floors. When the doors opened they looked at each other uncertainly.

"Surgery?" Puck asked. "Why are we on the surgical floor?"

The detective led them to a waiting area. "I didn't tell you before because I didn't want you to panic. The girls are both ok but both of them suffered some injuries." He turned to Rachel's fathers. "Rachel suffered a deep stab wound to the left shoulder that required surgery to repair. The doctors have assured us she will make a full recovery but might need some rehab when she recovers." He turned to Tina's mother. "Tina suffered a hairline fracture to her wrist and is going to be wearing a cast for a few weeks."

Rachel's Dad was slack-jawed. "How deep? Is she ok? How long will she have to stay here? When can we take her home?"

The detective held up his hands. "I'm not sure, I was only given the basic information. I'll have their doctors come talk to you, but right now I imagine you want to see your daughters." The parents nodded eagerly. "Right now, parents are the only visitors allowed. Rachel is in Room 2518, down the hall this way, and Tina is in room 2522. I can take you there now."

The parents stood to follow the detective and Puck slumped in a chair next to Mr. Schue.

Rachel's Dad looked over his shoulder. "Don't worry, Noah, we'll tell her you're out here."

Puck nodded his gratitude but said nothing. Artie rolled over and punched him lightly on the shoulder, grinning. "Dude, lighten up. They're ok. Smile. Be happy."

Puck scowled at him momentarily before smiling. "I am happy," he said softly. "Really happy."


	8. Chapter 8

!

Rachel and Tina hadn't hesitated when the woman told them to get in and unlocked her car doors for them. Rachel tumbled into the backseat, Tina close behind her. The woman was on the phone with 911, reporting the situation. When she asked their names, and Rachel told her, the woman had gasped.

"People have been looking for you," she told them. "There's an Amber Alert out and your pictures have been all over the news."

Rachel slumped against Tina tiredly, cradling her shoulder. "See, I told you people were looking."

Tina smiled softly. "Yes, you did."

The woman said she was taking them to the nearest hospital, in downtown Dayton, and then offered them a half-drank bottle of water and a bag of carrot sticks from her lunch sack. The girls devoured the carrots quickly and took turns sipping from the bottle.

"It's so good to eat again," Tina grinned.

"I just want to take a shower and see my dads and get into some nice warm pajamas," Rachel said, leaning her head back against the seat and closing her eyes. "Some Tylenol wouldn't be bad, either."

"You're bleeding again," Tina commented.

"I think it started when we were trying to get the knife," Rachel told her. "He grabbed my shoulder and I think that's when it started. I'm sorry if I bleed all over your car," she told the woman politely.

The woman laughed lightly. "Don't you worry about it," she said. "I imagine your parents will be pretty glad to see you both again. You've been missing for a few days, right?"

Tina nodded. "We were taken Tuesday night."

The woman whistled softly. "That's horrible. So many people are going to be glad to see you girls."

The ride to the hospital seemed very fast and there were nurses and doctors waiting outside the emergency entrance for them. They were made to sit in wheelchairs and Rachel winced, hissing slightly in pain when a doctor prodded her shoulder. He didn't even apologize, just instructed the nurses to wheel her to an exam room. She was separated from Tina then, and she fought the urge to call out for the Asian girl. _It's ok to separate now_, she told herself. _We're safe now._

A nurse inspected the bruising on her face and another doctor, a nicer one, probed her shoulder wound gently. "We're going to take you up to surgery right away," the doctor told her. "It doesn't look like there's any muscle damage but we're going to take a look before we stitch you up."

The nurse wiped something off her face and Rachel was shocked to see she was crying. "My dads," she said. "Are my dads here?"

Another nurse leaned over her. "They've been called, sweetie, and they're on their way. They'll be here soon."

Rachel closed her eyes and felt more tears slip out. "I want my dads," she whispered.

The nurse wiped the tears away gently, avoiding her bruised cheek. "We're going to take you up to surgery now, but your dads will be here when you get out. Don't worry, everything's ok now."

_It's not,_ Rachel wanted to say. _I killed man and my shoulder hurts and I want to go home_. But she kept quiet and didn't say anything as they wheeled her out of the room. She closed her eyes against the bright overhead lights and when she opened them again they were in a different room with people in blue gowns standing all around her.

One of them leaned over her. "We're going to give you something to make you sleep now. You'll wake up in a little while and everything will be fine."

_No drugs_, Rachel wanted to say. _No more drugs_. But a mask was placed over her face and she was told to count backwards from ten. "Ten," she started sleepily. "Nine…" Her eyes closed and she couldn't remember what came after nine, and as the blackness descended once more, she decided it didn't much matter.

!

Tina was surprised to see doctors and several police officers waiting outside the emergency room when they pulled up. They were engulfed immediately, and she lost sight of Rachel. A policewoman asked her questions as she was loaded into a wheelchair and taken to an exam room. A doctor gently touched her wrist and Tina gasped in pain. The doctor turned it over gently and Tina was surprised to see some light bruising there. The man's grip must have been stronger than she thought.

The policewoman was still talking. "We've been in contact with the Lima PD," she told Tina. "Your parents have been notified and will be here soon. Can you tell me what happened?"

"The man," Tina said instead. "Did you get him? Is he dead? Rachel thinks he's dead, she thinks she killed him."

The policewoman glanced down at her, her face expressionless. "We've got officers combing the woods, looking for the shack. So far, we haven't found anything. Can you describe the man?"

As Tina gave a detailed description of the man she had spent the last few days afraid of, she wondered if Rachel was right and he was dead. "My phone died," she said suddenly.

The policewoman looked at her blankly. "Your phone died?"

"Tuesday night," Tina explained, anxious to get the story out. "When we were taken. My car wouldn't start and my phone was dead and Rachel didn't have hers so we had to walk home. That's when he took us."

The doctor interrupted her story. "I'm sorry, but we need to get you into X-ray and get a look at this wrist."

Tina nodded slightly. "Ok." She turned back to the policewoman. "Is my mom here yet? She's supposed to be here now. You said she was coming."

She saw the doctor and the policewoman exchange a look and the doctor stepped forward. "I'm just going to give you a little something to relax you," he said.

Tina nodded eagerly. "Drugs. Yep. The man gave us those too. A few times. He had a needle and everything."

Another look was exchanged and they stepped away from her slightly, and she wondered if they knew she could still hear them.

"She's in shock," the doctor said quietly. "It's not uncommon after trauma, and normally we would sedate her, but I need to get a blood sample and make sure no other drugs are in her system first. I don't want to risk a bad drug interaction," he explained.

The policewoman nodded. "I need to get a statement from her, but it can wait. I can try the other girl."

"Rachel," Tina interrupted. They came back to stand beside her. "Rachel was stabbed. In the arm. She said it didn't hurt bad but I think she was lying. I'm sorry, I never talk this much, I don't know why I'm talking this much now."

"It's ok, Tina," the doctor said reassuringly. He gestured to a nurse. "We're just going to draw a little blood, you'll feel a little pinch, and then we'll check out your wrist, ok?"

Tina nodded eagerly, ignoring the small stabbing pain in her arm. "Ok."

She was wheeled off to X-ray and was told she had a fractured wrist and would need a cast for a little while. By the time she was brought back downstairs the doctor had the results of her blood work.

"All clean," he announced happily. "No traces of any drugs left in your system. I'm going to give you something that might make you a little sleepy, ok, Tina? And then we'll get a cast on that arm of yours."

Tina felt another small stab in her arm and instantly felt sleepy. As she dozed off, she wondered again if her mother was here yet.

!

Rachel became aware of sound before anything else. She remembered counting and then nothing until she suddenly became aware again. She heard a muted beeping sound, low voices. She struggled to place the noises, make them connect with events in her memory, but she couldn't.

Her eyelids felt heavy and she concentrated all her energy on prying them open. After fluttering them several times, they finally lifted and she blinked to clear the blurriness from her vision.

"Sweetheart?"

She frowned, turning her head toward the sound. She blinked a few more times before her eyes focused.

"Sweetie, are you all right?"

Her vision sharpened then and she could see her fathers, seated side by side. She glanced around her. She was in a bed and there were machines next to her, beeping quietly.

"What happened?" she asked, voice cracking.

Dad poured her a small glass of water, holding the straw to her lips. "Drink," he said. "We have plenty of time to talk later."

She drank greedily for a bit before closing her eyes again. When she opened them again, her dads were still there but she could tell it was dark outside. The sun outside her window had given way to night, and her dads looked very tired.

"Dad? Daddy?" she asked, drawing their attention.

They both smiled down at her. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

She frowned. "Tired," she said. "What happened?"

"What do you remember, honey?" Daddy asked gently.

"I remember…we got away," she said. "A man drove away from us but a woman stopped to help us and they brought us here. Am I still in the hospital?"

Dad nodded. "Yes, honey. You had surgery on your shoulder and have been sleeping for awhile."

"Tina. Is Tina ok? Where's Tina?" Rachel started to sit up, panicked.

Daddy pushed her back down gently as the beeping machine got faster. "It's alright, honey. Tina's fine. She's resting down the hall. She had a cast put on her wrist and her mom's with her. She's ok, you're both ok."

Rachel slumped back against her pillows. "I had surgery?"

Dad nodded, looking worried. "Yes, sweetheart. You don't remember?"

She shook her head. "It's all kind of blurry after we got in the car."

"You had surgery for your shoulder. They said there's some muscle damage, but not a lot. You'll make a full recovery but you might need some rehab, depending on the extent of the damage. They said there's some bruising on your ribs and your face but it should heal in a few days. They're giving you fluids now and they've been bringing food since you got here, but you've been sleeping," Daddy explained.

"The lady in the car gave us carrot sticks," Rachel said absently, eyeing the IV line in the back of her hand.

"We're very grateful to that lady," Daddy said, his eyes tearing up a bit. "We're so glad she stopped for you girls."

"Is she still here?"

"No, sweetie, she gave her statement to the police and left a few hours ago. But we spoke with her. She said to tell you both she was glad you were ok."

"She was a nice lady," Rachel said, snuggling back into her pillows. Daddy pulled the blanket up a little higher over her and she smiled at them. "I missed you guys."

They both blinked back tears. "We missed you too, darling. So much. Everyone did."

"Noah's in the waiting room with Mr. Schuester," Dad informed her. "They've been incredibly worried about you girls. Daddy's right, everyone has been."

"Noah's here? Can I see him?" Rachel asked.

Her dads exchanged a glance. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yes. Please. And Mr. Schue too, if he wants. I feel like I haven't seen anyone in forever."

Daddy leaned over and kissed her cheek gently. "Ok, sweetheart, we'll go get them. We'll be back in a little bit, ok?"

She nodded happily, closing her eyes again as her dads left the room.

!

Puck shifted uncomfortably in the hospital chair. Rachel's dads had been gone over an hour. Tina's mom had come out and updated them on Tina's condition. She had a fractured wrist and was severely dehydrated and in need of food but she was ok. Artie and Mr. Schue had gone back with Tina's mom to see her, and Schue had come back after about ten minutes. "Thought you might want some company," the teacher had said.

Puck shifted in the chair again. He was bored. And tired. And hungry. But mostly, he was worried. Everyone kept saying Rachel was fine, but someone who was fine didn't need surgery. He wanted to see her, needed to see her for himself before he would believe she was fine.

"Noah."

He looked up when he heard his name called and saw Rachel's fathers standing in front of him. He stood up quickly. "What is it? Is she ok?"

Her Daddy smiled at him. "Yes, she's fine. She's asking for you. Both of you."

Mr. Schue stood as well. "Right now?" Puck looked at them hopefully and her dads laughed.

"Yes. She's very tired and they have her on pain medication for her shoulder so she's a little out of it," her Daddy warned. "But you can go in. She's in 2518, just down the hall on the right."

Puck followed Mr. Schue down the hall to Rachel's room, suddenly nervous. What would he say to her? "Glad you're ok" just sounded stupid. He'd been hoping for this moment so much over the last few days but now he had no clue what to say.

They paused at her door and Schue turned to him. "Do you want a few minutes first?" he asked.

Puck shook his head immediately. "No, she asked for both of us. We should both go in."

Schue nodded and pushed her door open gently. Puck was shocked. Rachel Berry was tiny, always had been, probably always would be. But he had never really realized just _how tiny_ she was until he saw her laying in that hospital bed, covered in blankets and bruises with machines all around her.

She opened her eyes when they walked closer to the bed. "Hi," she said, smiling happily.

Puck grinned, understanding what her dads meant about her being on drugs. She was definitely loopy right now. "Hey."

"You came to see me," she said, dreamy smile still on her face.

His smile softened and he tried not to stare too hard at the bruising on her cheek. "Course we did. You asked for us."

"We're so glad you're ok, Rach," Mr. Schue spoke up. "We were all very worried."

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. It was nice of you to come. I hope you kept Noah in line."

Schue laughed and Puck gave her a mock glare. "Hey, you should be nice to me. Who do you think has been picking up your chem homework for you?"

She groaned slightly and closed her eyes.

Puck felt his heart stop. "What? Are you ok? What is it?"

She opened her eyes again and Puck was relieved to see a small smile on her face. "I think chem might be the only thing I didn't miss."

Puck smiled down at her. "I was just kidding anyway. I didn't get your homework, I haven't even been to school."

"You didn't go to school?"

"I don't think any of the glee kids did," Schue interjected, putting a hand on Puck's shoulder. "Brittany and Santana went to cheer practice because they've got a big competition coming up, but no one went to classes."

Rachel glared at him. "Noah Puckerman, how dare you use me as an excuse for your academic lethargy."

They both stared at her like she was crazy and she broke into giggles, wincing slightly and touching her ribs. "Sorry. I'm a little out there right now."

Puck grinned. "That's cool, now I know what you'd be like drunk."

She grinned back at him. "Drunk's a funny word. Drunk. _Drunk. _Druuuunk." She broke into giggles again and he and Schue laughed with her.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Mr. Schue said. He smiled fondly down at his star. "Rachel, I'm glad you're ok. Get better soon, we need you in glee!"

"Thanks for coming," Rachel said, wiggling her fingers at their teacher. "Bye, Mr. Schue."

Puck watched him leave, then perched himself on the side of Rachel's bed. His eyes lingered on the angry bruises on her face.

"They don't even hurt," she said quietly.

He snorted. "That's because you're higher than a kite."

"That's true. They might hurt tomorrow."

He nodded. "They probably will." His eyes swept her petite form, searching for any other sign of injury. They settled on her heavily bandaged shoulder. "Does that hurt?"

She followed his gaze. "Not right now. It did at the time, though."

"How did it happen?" She hesitated and he backtracked immediately. "You don't have to tell me."

She shook her head slightly and settled back into her pillows. "No, it's ok. We were trying to escape. It was…Thursday, I think. I'm not clear on the time frame, we were drugged a couple of times."

Puck's jaw tightened but he let that pass. "What happened?"

"We were trying to escape. We had come up with this plan and Tina was lying on the floor, pretending to be passed out and she had a key and I had a key and we were going to attack him and run for the door. It locked from the outside but not the inside."

"A key? You tried to attack a man with a knife with a key?"

She shrugged lightly. "It was all we had. We were hoping the element of surprise would be enough."

"So what happened?"

"It wasn't. He was strong and threw me across the room, which is how I hurt my ribs. I ran for the door and he grabbed me by the hair." She winced, pressing a hand to her head, remembering the pain. "He yelled that he had been good to us but he wasn't going to be anymore and then he just stabbed me."

Puck's brow creased in concern. "You're lucky he didn't kill you. Both of you."

"It was a chance we were willing to take. He didn't seem too terribly prone to violence before that and we didn't think about the consequences. We just wanted to get out. And anyway, it doesn't matter now."

"Why not?"

Rachel looked away, avoiding his gaze. He put his hand under her chin, turning her to gently look into her eyes. "Rachel, why not?" he asked softly.

Her eyes were brimming with tears and his heart clenched at the sight of them. "Because I killed him, Noah," she choked out. "I killed him!" She started sobbing and he leaned over the bed, taking her in his arms.

"Rachel, why would you think that?"

"I stabbed him. When we escaped, I stabbed him and I killed him!"

He rubbed her back soothingly. "Rach, you didn't. You didn't kill him."

"Yes, I did," she sobbed. "I killed him!"

"Babe, no, you didn't. He's downstairs, locked up and surrounded by cops. You didn't kill him, I promise."

She pulled back and he gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "He's not dead?"

He shook his head. "Not last I heard. The doctors told the cops there was a lot of damage, that he would be here for awhile before they could take him to jail, but he's alive."

Rachel's eyes widened. "He's here?" she whispered. "Here?"

He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb in gentle circles. "He's not going to hurt you," he said.

She shook her head frantically. "No. No! He can't-I can't be here. We have to leave. Noah, we have to go!" She sat up and one of the machines started beeping rapidly and a nurse came running in.

"Rachel, you need to calm down," she said, checking the machine. "Sweetie, it's ok, just calm down."

"No, he's here, we need to go. I don't wanna be here." She struggled with Puck's grasp. "Please, Noah, let's go."

The nurse hit the call button and another nurse appeared with a syringe. "I'm just going to give you something to help you calm down," she said. "Just a little pinch now."

Rachel struggled but the nurse was quick and she felt her limbs growing heavy again. "Noah," she called.

"I'm right here, babe," he said, trying not to show his fear. "Right here."

"Don't let him take me again," she begged. "Please."

He linked his fingers through hers. "That's not gonna happen, babe, I promise you. He is heavily sedated and he is handcuffed to his bed and surrounded by cops. He's not going anywhere, I promise you. I promise."

She sighed, only partly believing him. "Ok," she said drowsily. "I'm sleepy."

He eased her back against the pillows. "Then go to sleep. It's ok."

She shook her head and he saw the fear in her eyes. "I don't want to."

"Why not?" She didn't answer him. "Rach? Why not?"

She sniffled. "I'm afraid you won't be here. I'll wake up and be back in the shack with him and you won't be here. I did that before. I dreamed you came to rescue me but I woke up and we were still gone. I don't want to do that again."

He brushed a hand across her forehead. "That's not gonna happen either," he promised her. "I'm right here and I'm staying right here. You're safe now. You and Tina got out of there and you're safe now. You're never going back to that shack, ever again. I promise, babe."

Her eyes grew heavy as he stroked her hair tenderly. "Will you stay?" she slurred.

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Absolutely."

Her eyelids fluttered and she smiled slightly before drifting off again.

He watched her sleep for a few minutes before he heard footsteps behind him. He expected one of the nurses but turned to find her fathers instead.

"Is she ok?" her Dad asked, running his hand tiredly through his hair. "The nurses said they had to sedate her."

Puck nodded, glancing back at Rachel's slumbering form. "She's ok. She freaked out when she heard the guy was downstairs but she's ok."

"Who told her the guy was downstairs?" her Daddy asked sharply.

Puck cringed. "Uh, I did. I just…she was freaking out because she thought she had killed him and I kept telling her she hadn't but she was convinced. So I told her he was downstairs recovering and that the cops were with him and he was handcuffed and everything. And then she was upset because he was so close and she wanted to leave. So they sedated her." He took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have told her he was here, I'm sorry."

Her Daddy shook his head apologetically. "No, of course you were right to tell her. We don't want her thinking she killed someone. I'm sorry, it's been a very long few days."

"We were just downstairs," her Dad explained, anger barely concealed in his tone. "We went to see him. They wouldn't let us in and he was sleeping but…well, we just wanted to see the man who tried to take our little girl from us."

Puck nodded. "Wouldn't mind seeing the guy myself," he muttered. He cleared his throat. "Uh, she asked me to stay. I hope that's ok."

He saw her Dad glance at their entwined fingers, saw his eyes follow Puck's hand as it combed back her hair. "That's fine." They pulled two chairs to the other side of the bed and they all settled in for a long night, none of the men willing to let Rachel out of their sight again so soon.


	9. Chapter 9

!

Tina was being released today, Rachel learned the next day. She had woken up to find both her fathers and Noah in the room, Dad and Noah watching a football game quietly on the TV in the corner, Daddy doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper.

She vaguely recalled the events of the previous night, the knowledge that she had not, in fact, killed someone and that the man who had abducted them was in the same hospital. It was still a little overwhelming.

Dad told her Tina had a fractured wrist and had to wear a cast for awhile, but other than that, she was well enough to be released. She had been dehydrated, both girls had, but they had given her fluids and she was being released this afternoon.

Rachel pouted slightly. "I want to go home too," she said.

Daddy smiled at her. "I know, sweetie. But the doctors want you here at least one more day because of your shoulder. Maybe tomorrow."

She sighed tiredly. "I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed and wear my own pajamas. The really warm comfy ones," she said.

Dad patted her hand. "Soon, I promise."

"Are you guys going to stay?" she asked hesitantly. Noah had told her their captor was handcuffed and surrounded by police, but she still didn't feel completely comfortable being in the same building as him.

Daddy nodded. "Yes. We're going to get a hotel room in town, but one of us will always be with you, sweetheart. Is that ok?"

Rachel nodded readily. "Yes." She glanced over at Noah but didn't dare ask. He had already been so great, she couldn't ask him for more.

He seemed to know what she was thinking. "Your dads said I could stay too," he told her. "So between the three of us, one of us will be here. If that's ok."

"I don't want to keep you from anything," she murmured. "I mean, if you have something you need to do or if you need to get home." Her Daddy chuckled but when she looked up he had gone back to his crossword puzzle.

Noah shook his head. "No, I'm good here. Unless you just want your dads…" he trailed off, uncertain of what she wanted and unwilling to force his presence on her.

She opened her mouth to speak but Dad cut her off. "Rachel, Noah would like to stay with you, he was very worried when you were gone. Noah, Rachel would like you to stay here, I'm sure she feels safe with you around."

Rachel blushed and she thought even Noah turned a little pink. "Ok," she said. "That's settled then."

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Rachel turned to see Tina and her mother standing there. She smiled and invited them in.

Tina's mother came to her immediately. "I'm so glad you're ok," she said, leaning down to embrace Rachel.

Rachel hugged her back. "Thanks." She watched as her dads hugged Tina and her mother and then Noah hesitantly stepped up to hug the Asian girl.

"I'm glad you're ok," he told her sincerely. "Sorry I haven't come to visit you."

Tina smiled at him. "It's ok, you were busy." She turned to the parents. "Can you give Rachel and me a minute?" she asked.

Her dads both kissed her forehead and Noah leaned over to squeeze her hand. "We'll be right outside," he whispered in her ear. She squeezed his hand back before letting go.

When they were alone, Tina sat in the chair Noah had vacated, closest to the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Rachel gave a small shrug. "Not bad, considering. I was pretty out of it yesterday, because of the medicine and everything, but it's better today. How are you doing?"

"Ok," Tina said. "My wrist doesn't hurt very much and I'm just ready to go home."

Rachel made a face. "They're making me stay another day, at least."

"How's your shoulder?"

Rachel hesitated. "Honestly? It hurts. But I'm not telling my dads or Noah that."

"You should ask for some more pain medication," Tina said. "It would feel better."

"I don't really want to be drugged again," Rachel confessed. "It makes me feel weird and it reminds me of the drugs he gave us." She paused. "Did you know he's downstairs?"

Tina nodded solemnly. "My mom told me."

"I really thought he was dead," Rachel said. "I thought I had killed him. And then Noah said he was downstairs. I don't know which is better."

"I was scared," Tina said slowly. "I made my mom stay with me all night."

"I freaked out," Rachel admitted. "I told Noah I wanted to leave and tried to get up and they had to sedate me."

"They said he's guarded by police officers," Tina said hesitantly. "But…I was still scared."

Rachel nodded. "Noah said he was handcuffed too. But I'm still afraid."

Tina fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I guess it's normal," she said finally. "After everything, I mean."

Rachel nodded. "Probably. I can't help it, though, I still want to go home, far away from here."

"The detective I talked to said we'd probably have to testify at his trial," Tina said. "I don't want to but I don't think we have a choice."

Rachel shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to that."

"Me either." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Tina spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way," she said hesitantly, "but I'm glad you were there with me."

Rachel nodded. "Me too. I'm glad we were together. I was afraid but I would have been more afraid alone."

"I don't know if I would have been brave enough to try to escape without you," Tina confessed.

"Me either. We did good together and I think it was easier to escape because there were two of us. I'm just glad everything turned out ok."

"Me too." Tina paused, glancing at the door. "I should get going, my mom's waiting."

Rachel cringed. "I'm jealous."

Tina smiled down at her. "Don't worry, you'll get to go home soon," she said. "Just take it easy."

"You too. Are you going back to school?"

Tina shook her head. "Probably not for a few days. I'm just gonna go home and crash. I don't want to deal with everyone yet, you know?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. My dads are here, and Noah. I don't really need anyone else right now."

Tina grinned. "My mom said _Noah_ was very worried."

"Yes," Rachel said pointedly, "about _both_ of us."

"I don't know," Tina teased. "Mom said he acted like a worried boyfriend."

"Oh, you mean like Artie?" Rachel threw back.

Tina blushed slightly. "Artie and I haven't been secretive about anything," she defended. "But you and Puck…"

"We're study partners," Rachel said firmly. "Trust me, I'm not the kind of girl Noah Puckerman dates."

"He dated you before," Tina pointed out.

"He doesn't think of me that way anymore," Rachel argued. "He just doesn't."

"That's why he spent all that time with your dads while we were gone and why he came down here to stay with you," Tina said. "Makes sense."

Rachel glared at the other girl before sighing tiredly. "I don't want to argue about this," she said. "It's pointless."

Tina nodded, letting it go. "I really have to get going anyway."

"Thanks for stopping by," Rachel said. "Good luck at home."

"Thanks. And don't worry, you'll be out of here before you know it."

Tina left and a few minutes after that her fathers and Noah came back into the room. She noticed again how tired her dads looked.

"Why don't you guys go get some sleep?" she said.

They exchanged glances. "It's ok, sweetheart, we're fine."

She rolled her eyes. "Please. You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"We were worried about you, sweetheart," Daddy said, stroking her hair back.

She smiled softly at him. "I know, but I'm fine now," she told them. "I'm really ok. You guys should go get some rest."

"I thought you didn't want to be alone," Dad said.

Rachel glanced to the corner of the room. "Noah will be here, right?" He nodded. "Well, see, then I won't be alone. I insist, you guys look so tired."

Her dads exchanged another look and, after a long silence, nodded slowly. "Ok," Daddy said, standing up. "Maybe just a few hours wouldn't hurt."

"We both have our cell phones and we'll turn them up full volume, so if you need anything, sweetheart, you just call," Dad said.

She smiled slightly at them. "I'll be fine," she said. "Don't worry about me."

Dad leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We always worry about you, silly. That's our job."

"We'll be back in a few hours," Daddy said, halfway to the door. "Just get some rest, honey, and we'll be back before you know it."

She glanced at Noah after her fathers had left to find he was laughing silently. She tilted her head and watched him. "What?" she asked finally.

He shook his head. "I bet your Daddy's asleep before they even make it to the hotel."

She grinned. "I bet you're right. They both look so exhausted."

He pulled the chair to her bedside again. "I don't think they slept much while you were gone," he confessed. "Your Daddy was a complete wreck. Your Dad tried to be strong, but he broke down at one point too."

Rachel winced. "I feel bad they had to go through that."

"They're just glad you're home safe."

"I know. But still…I hate that they went through that, that anyone went through that." She glanced up to see Noah smiling again. "What?"

"You, Berry. You got kidnapped, drugged, stabbed, and you're worrying about what everyone else went through." He shrugged. "You're crazy," he decided.

She glared at him briefly. "I am not. I love my dads, I don't want them suffering."

"And I'm sure they feel the same about what you went through."

"How do you know?"

He looked into her eyes and all traces of humor were gone from his face. "Because that's how I feel," he said quietly. "I hate that you went through any of that. I wish I could have protected you from it."

She smiled fondly at him, not breaking the eye contact. "Noah," she said softly, "there was nothing you could have done."

He broke their eye contact and she noticed the tightening of his jaw. "Yes, there is," he said. "I could have made you keep our plans or stayed and watched you guys practice. Then I could have given you a ride home when Tina's car wouldn't start. There were a million things I could have done."

Rachel digested this information as she reached over and took his hand in hers. "Noah, there's a million things anyone could have done differently that night. Tina could have gone straight home, I could have said no. But I'm glad things happened the way they did. Tina and I survived because we were together and because we were stronger together than we would have been alone. And I wouldn't change that."

He sighed and squeezed her hand. "I know," he said quietly. "I just hate seeing you hurt."

"I'm ok," she repeated. "Everyone's ok."

He leaned closer and brushed his hand through her hair, down the side of her face, knuckles dragging softly over her jaw. Her skin tingled like it was on fire. "I was worried," he said.

"About what?" she asked breathlessly.

"That I wouldn't get the chance to tell you…that you didn't know…"

"Noah? That I didn't know what?"

He smiled down at her and she went breathless again at the emotion in his hazel eyes. "That I wouldn't get to tell you how I feel," he whispered.

"How do you feel?"

He grinned down at her. "Rachel Berry, I think I'm in love with you."

She was pretty sure she could feel her insides melt at his revelation. A thought struck her and she started giggling. He looked confused.

"Rach? Are you ok?"

She giggled some more, trying to regain control of her emotions. "I guess you were right," she said. "We _do_ have chemistry!"

He grinned down at her and rolled his eyes. "We're going to cut down on your pain meds," he joked.

She stopped laughing and framed his face between her hands. "Noah," she said seriously, "I feel the same way. I…I mean…I…"

He chuckled and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It's ok, Rach," he told her. "You don't have to say it yet. I should probably take you on a date first."

She grinned. "Probably."

"As soon as you feel up to it," he promised.

She smiled playfully at him. "So now then?"

He chuckled and smoothed her hair back. "Smartass," he mumbled.

She grinned cheekily at him. "You said when I was up for it." He rolled his eyes but he was smiling. "Seriously, Noah, turn on the TV, let's watch a movie."

He mock saluted her. "Yes, ma'am." He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found a movie. He took one look at it and kept flipping but it was apparently the only movie on TV. "We could just watch regular TV," he said, eyeing the movie critically.

She shook her head stubbornly. "Nope. First dates are usually dinner and a movie. And it's almost time for them to bring my dinner, so you have to find a movie."

He shook his head, still eyeing the TV. "Rach, this isn't really a date type of movie."

She giggled. "Well, Noah, this isn't _really_ a date, so it's ok. What is it?"

He turned to look at her, amusement playing on his features. "Deep Blue Sea."

She shook her head slightly. "I've never heard of it."

"Trust me, not a date movie."

"Well, it's a movie I've never seen before so it will have to do," she decided. "Let's watch it."

He grinned at her and reclaimed his chair. "Suit yourself," he said.

After a few suspenseful minutes he glanced over at her. She was wide-eyed and staring at the TV. Her hand was clutching his arm and he could feel her fingernails digging in. "Still want to watch this?" he teased.

Her eyes grew wider as yet another cast member was eaten unexpectedly, but nodded stubbornly. "Yes. Though…if you want, you could join me up here," she said.

He glanced at the small hospital bed. "Don't think we'd both fit."

"Nonsense," she scoffed. She scooted gingerly to one side and he winced when pain flashed briefly across her features. "There," she said, gesturing to the space she'd created. It was minimal and he was pretty sure he would not fit there.

"It's ok, I'm ok here," he said. "There's really not much room."

She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest, saying nothing. A few seconds later, her lower lip came out and he chuckled. He was a sucker for the Berry pout. "Ok, babe, I'll try. But if I hurt you, I'm going back to the chair, no arguments."

She rewarded him with a dazzling smile. "Ok," she said happily.

He climbed gingerly into the bed beside her and put his arm around her. She curled into him instantly and he was surprised to find there was room for both of them after all. It was a little crunched and she was practically laying half on top of him but it wasn't altogether uncomfortable. He shifted a little, settling in, and pulled her closer to him.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked. "Is your shoulder ok?"

He felt her nod and she snuggled closer. "It's perfect," she said happily.

He smiled and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "It'll get better," he promised. "Just wait til our real date."

She tilted her head back to look up at him and she smiled. "I can't wait," she said.

He brushed a loose piece of hair out of her eyes. "Me either," he said softly. They drifted closer until their foreheads were touching and all he could think was _God, I want to kiss her._ But he didn't. He wanted their first kiss, well, this next first kiss, to be memorable, and he didn't want it to be in a hospital bed.

"I'm not going to kiss you now," he murmured to her.

She pouted slightly. "Why not?"

"Because you deserve better than this," he said. "We're going to have a real first date and a real first kiss. We're going to do it right this time," he promised.

She beamed up at him. "Ok."

He chuckled, pulling back. "Good. Now watch the movie," he said.

!

To say that Puck had been shocked when Rachel declared that she actually liked Deep Blue Sea would be an understatement. But she had snuggled her head just under his chin, curled her hand against his chest and declared that it was a pleasant viewing experience and she would have to invest in the DVD to add to their large collection. He was pretty sure she was full of crap, or maybe morphine, but he wasn't about to say so and start a fight.

They brought her food in shortly after and he had reluctantly climbed back into his chair so she could eat. She had slept so much since her arrival that she hadn't really eaten anything substantial and he had heard the nurses say that if she missed one more meal they were going to start feeding her through a tube.

Looking at her, he didn't think that was necessary. She was devouring some kind of meat with a vigor he had only seen when she performed. The mashed potatoes went quickly too, and by the time she got to the jello desert, she hadn't slowed down her pace at all.

Looking up and catching him staring, she blushed. "I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks," she confessed.

He just smiled at her. "Want me to have them bring you more?"

"No, but thank you. This is sufficient. I'm hoping I won't have to be here much longer."

He nodded, watching as she finished the rest of her milk. "Yeah, I bet you want to get home soon."

She moaned dramatically, leaning her head back against her pillows. "Oh, I can't wait. I'm so jealous Tina got to leave already. I just want to sleep in my own bed, in my own pajamas."

He leered playfully at her hospital gown. "I don't know, these are kinda turning me on."

"Noah!" she said, scandalized.

He winked at her. "Of course, it could always be the hottie wearing them."

She snorted. "Have you been hijacking my meds?"

He grinned at her. "Nah, wouldn't do that to you. Speaking of, isn't it time for you to get some more? They haven't really given you any all day."

"Uh, I don't think so."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure? They told your dads your shoulder would be painful for awhile."

She shook her head unconvincingly. "Nope, doesn't hurt at all."

But he had noticed the pinched look around her eyes at times during the evening, had felt her shift and her breath catch at the sudden pain. He knew she was lying when she said it didn't hurt. He just didn't know why. "Well, you've got some food in you now, it would probably be a good time if you wanted some meds."

She shook her head again, firmly this time. "Nope. I don't want any. I'm fine."

He shrugged. "Ok, well, if you want to be stubborn about it, that's your call."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged again. "Rach, it's obvious it still hurts you. You're clearly in pain, but you won't take anything for it. You're just being stubborn."

"I'm not," she said, picking at some lint on her blanket.

"Then what do you call it?"

"I don't like the way it makes me feel," she burst out. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It makes me feel really weird, really out of it. I don't want to feel that way. It makes me feel like when that man drugged us. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now."

His gaze softened and he moved to perch himself on her bed, taking a hand in his. "Maybe they can adjust the dose," he said softly. "Or maybe it won't hit you as hard now that you've got some solid food in you. I just hate that you're in pain."

She looked down at their joined hands for a long moment. "It does hurt a little," she said quietly. "Maybe they can give me some aspirin or something…"

He quickly reached for the call button to page the nurse on duty. "Let's see what they say," he urged. "Then you can decide."

The nurse came in and he listened as Rachel detailed her concerns about the pain medication, about the fuzziness it made her feel. The nurse told Rachel she could decrease the amount of morphine she was given or she could give her a drug that wasn't as strong. In the end Rachel chose a high dose of ibuprofen and, though Puck knew it wouldn't take the pain away like morphine would, he was glad she had chosen something over nothing at all.

After she had taken her meds, Rachel scooted over and patted the bed beside her again. He chuckled and kicked off his shoes. She unfolded her blanket so he could be under it with her and snuggled up to him again. They had just finished watching a rerun of Friends on TV when he looked down and noticed her sleeping. He flipped a control to turn her light off and pulled her closer to him, kissing her on the forehead before closing his eyes as well.

Footsteps shook him from his light sleep some time later and he opened his eyes, curling protectively around Rachel. The door opened and her fathers came in, followed by a police detective.

"Is she awake?" her Dad asked. "The police want to get a statement from her now."

Rachel shifted in his arms and Puck could tell she was waking up. "I'm surprised you waited this long to talk to her," he said.

Her Dad looked sheepish. "Well, that was our doing," he confessed. "I told them I'd sue if they didn't give her time to recover from her injuries and the trauma." Puck laughed, remembering how Rachel so readily threatened everyone at school with the American Civil Liberties Union. She definitely took after her Dad.

Rachel stirred and her eyelids fluttered. "Noah? What's going on?"

Her Daddy stepped closer to the bed. "It's ok, sweetheart, Dad and I are back now. And this detective would like to ask you some questions, if you feel up to it."

She opened her eyes and they waited several minutes until she was fully awake. "About what?"

The detective stepped forward. "Miss Berry, I just need to get a statement from you about what happened."

Rachel turned to her fathers, confused. "Didn't Tina already tell them what happened?"

Her Dad nodded, coming forward to rest his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, but they need to get a statement from each victim, each witness, just to get the whole picture. It's ok, sweetheart, just tell him what happened."

Puck listened as Rachel recounted her story, starting with the car trouble and the discovery that Tina's phone was dead. When she got to their initial meeting with the man, he had tensed up. When she said he was military, the detective had stopped her.

"He told you he was in the military?"

Rachel nodded. "Well, kind of. He said he was doing a training exercise for the military, so I guess we just assumed that meant he was military. Why?"

The detective shook his head wordlessly and motioned for her to continue. When she got to the part about being stabbed Puck had looked away from her, clenching his jaw hard to avoid losing his temper. He noticed her Dad do the same.

When she finished her story, the detective nodded, closing his notebook. "Thank you."

Rachel looked hesitantly at her Dad, who stepped forward. "Has he said anything?"

The detective nodded. "He was questioned when he regained consciousness. He is, in fact, in the military and is stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. He wouldn't say what he was doing in Lima."

"Did he say why he took us?" Rachel asked. "What did he want with us?"

"He wouldn't say. But we do know that he did show up for work Wednesday morning and Thursday, but he did not come in to work Friday. He called and said he was sick."

Rachel smiled slightly. "We attacked him Thursday evening," she said. "We scratched his face pretty badly."

The detective nodded. "That's probably why he didn't go in, to avoid unnecessary attention."

"Wait," Puck said suddenly. "If the girls were taken Tuesday night, and they weren't taken to the shack until Wednesday night, how did he go to work Wednesday?"

Rachel turned to the detective in confusion. "Yeah, where did he put us? We just assumed he had driven all night and we were really far from home."

The detective shifted on his feet. "He won't say anything about that but we believe he took you girls to the base with him. We're trying to get surveillance tapes from the base of Wednesday morning to see what vehicle he drove, but we think he was still driving the van. We think he had you girls with him on base that first day."

"That's why he drugged us," Rachel realized. "He wanted us to stay quiet and not cause a scene."

"But wouldn't someone have noticed?" Daddy asked. "Wouldn't someone have seen them in the van?"

Rachel shook her head. "There were no windows where he kept us," she told them. "No one could see in or out. It was completely dark and sealed off from the rest of the van."

Dad shook his head. "This is unacceptable," he seethed. "They were right there, the whole time, and no one knew it."

"There's more," the detective said quietly. They all turned to him. "The man, William H. Ford, has a history of violent crime towards women. He was involved in several domestic dispute cases, though none were ever prosecuted, and he was charged with aggravated assault five years ago, though it never went to court."

"Isn't there some kind of background check in the military?" Rachel's Daddy wanted to know. "Aren't they supposed to catch these things?"

"They search for felonies," the detective said. "Apparently the background checks do not cover misdemeanors, even in the case of violent crimes."

Puck shook his head angrily. "That's not right," he said. "He could have killed them."

Rachel shuddered in his arms and everyone noticed. "We're keeping Ford under lock and key," the detective assured her. "He is handcuffed and guarded in the jail ward by at least one officer at all times until he can be transported to jail. He's been charged with abduction of two minors, aggravated assault, attempted murder, kidnapping, anything we think will stick. The DA will handle things on that end. He will stand trial for what he's done, I promise you that."

Rachel nodded, burrowing closer to Puck. He rubbed her back gently. "How badly was he hurt?" she asked quietly.

"The knife went into his side, missing all major organs," the detective reported. "He had surgery to repair the muscle and tissue damage but he will be more than able to attend his trial, probably in a few months. They think he'll be ready to be moved to the prison in about a week."

Rachel nodded. "I wish they'd send me home," she said. "I hate being here."

"Actually, sweetheart, we spoke with your doctors a little bit ago and they said they're willing to release you tomorrow if you promise to rest and take it easy for a few days."

Rachel beamed up at them. "Really?"

Daddy nodded. "Yes. It seems you impressed them when you took yourself off the morphine for your shoulder." The adults laughed when Rachel blushed.

"I didn't like how it made me feel," she said. "The other stuff they gave me wasn't as strong, but at least it didn't make me all loopy and out of it."

"They said it will be awhile before you heal completely, but if you're ready to be off the strong medication and can deal with the pain right now, then there's no reason to keep you here," Dad said.

Rachel nodded. "It still hurts," she admitted. "But it's manageable."

"Well, then we can get you checked out of here first thing in the morning," Daddy said. "Get you back home in your own bed."

The detective interjected. "We'll be in touch more when you go home, Miss Berry, especially when we get a date for the trial. The DA will be in touch with both you and Miss Chang in regards to your testimony at the trial. As far as cases go, this one is pretty standard, pretty cut and dry."

Rachel hesitated. "Will I get in trouble for stabbing him? I won't go to jail, will I?"

The detective smiled briefly at her. "No. All evidence indicates your actions were in self defense, and Miss Chang's statement corroborates that. That, and the fact that he injured you before, indicates that it was either you or him. You won't be charged with anything, I assure you. You were acting in defense of both yourself and Miss Chang."

Rachel sighed, relieved. "When do they think the trial will be?"

"Not for about a month, maybe. It's hard to say. There's not much evidence gathering to be done on this case, as I said, it's pretty cut and dry. But the DA will set a date and I'm sure you'll be well prepared in the event you have to go to court."

"If he gets convicted," Rachel started, "how long will he be in jail?"

"The attempted murder and the charges involving minors are serious," the detective said. "They're not light charges."

"He'd be in jail for a very long time, sweetheart, if he is convicted of everything and gets the maximum penalty," Dad said. "It depends on his judge about sentencing, and there is always the possibility of parole, but I think it's safe to say that no one in this room will let that happen without a fight."

Puck felt himself nodding and had a flash of himself, ten years down the road, standing next to Rachel in a courtroom, urging a judge not to let the monster out. He squeezed her hand tightly. He would do it, too, for her. He was coming to realize he would do just about anything for her.

Rachel squeezed his hand back and bounced a little on the bed. "I can't wait to go home," she said, grinning. "I feel like I haven't been there in forever."

"First thing in the morning," her Dad promised. "First thing."


	10. Chapter 10

!

Rachel found herself wide awake at 5:30 the next morning. Her fathers had both opted to stay and Noah had stuck around as well, though her fathers had insisted he pull up a chair with them and let Rachel get some rest in the bed. He hadn't wanted to, Rachel knew, but he did so without arguing, shooting her glances all night that let her know he'd rather be curled up in bed with her than in a hard plastic chair at her bedside.

She knew it would be a little while before her dads woke up, but she couldn't fall back asleep. She was going home today and she was excited. It was Sunday and she was having a hard time believing it was less than a week since she'd last been in her own bed. It felt like months, years even. So much had happened, so many things, and she just wanted to go home and get back to her normal routine.

She shifted slightly and her shoulder throbbed, reminding her it would be awhile before things went completely back to normal. But going home to her own bed and her own things would be enough.

The morning shift nurse came in to check on her vitals and Rachel smiled at her. The nurse smiled back, glancing at the sleeping men around the room. She approached the bed quietly.

"I hear you're going to be leaving today," she said quietly.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, they said I get to go home."

"I bet you're excited."

"Absolutely. No offense, but hospitals just are not my favorite place to be."

The nurse chuckled quietly. "None taken. I'm just glad you're well enough to go home. Not everyone that comes in here gets that chance. I'm glad everything turned out ok."

"You guys have been really nice to me and my family," Rachel said. "Thank you for everything."

The nurse smiled and headed for the door. "No problem. And no offense, but I hope I don't see you in here ever again."

Rachel laughed quietly after she left, picking up the remote. She muted the TV and flipped absently through the channels, settling on a Scooby Doo cartoon. She was on her third episode when Daddy started to stir.

He smiled when he saw her wide awake. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked quietly, coming over to sit on the edge of her bed.

She shook her head. "No. I'm ready to go home."

Daddy leaned back against her pillows. "Scooby Doo, huh? I haven't watched one of these in years."

"They're very entertaining," Rachel informed him.

He chuckled quietly as Shaggy and Scooby ran smack into yet another monster. "I see that."

By the time Noah and Rachel's Dad woke up it was 8:00 and Rachel was practically bouncing off the bed. "Can you go get the doctor, Daddy?" she asked when she saw Noah's eyes open and her Dad stretching. "I'm ready to go home now."

Daddy laughed but left the room in search of Rachel's doctor. He brought him back a few minutes later. The doctor carried something in his hands. He gave her fathers some forms to sign and turned to Rachel.

"We're cutting you loose," he told her.

She grinned. "I can't wait."

He smiled at her. "I won't take offense, just because I know how badly you've been wanting to go home." He held up the object in his hands. "Your shoulder is going to be tender for awhile, and to speed up your recovery faster you're going to have to wear this."

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the sling. "Do I have to?"

The doctor nodded. "It will help speed up your recovery," he explained. "By using the sling, the tissue and muscle in your shoulder won't have as much strain on them and they can heal faster. You need to wear this as much as you can. You don't have to wear it when you're sleeping or if you're just relaxing, but if you're going to be moving around, you should wear it." He stepped forward and slipped it over her head, helping her ease her arm into it.

Her shoulder protested at the movement and she frowned. It was uncomfortable. "How long until my shoulder is healed?"

"Well, that's another thing we need to discuss. A doctor will have to make that call. You can either come back here to get it checked out or you can see a doctor closer to home. Either way, you're looking at a few weeks, at least."

"We can discuss that a little bit later," Daddy said. "I think she's anxious to get home." They signed the release papers and the nurse came and took out her IV and brought her bag of possessions from the main desk. She took out her clothing, the clothing she was wearing when she was taken, and they all stared a little. The clothes were dirty and her shirt, her nice pretty yellow shirt, was covered in blood and dirt.

"That's a lot of blood," she heard Noah marvel.

She shrugged. "It's all I have. I'm going to head into the bathroom to change."

"Rach, wait," Noah said. She turned to find him pulling his shirt over his head. She blushed a little, thinking of him undressing in front of her fathers. He handed her his t-shirt. "Here. Wear this."

She took it from him, trying not to notice that he was standing there in a tight white tank top that made his muscles look ten times bigger. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It's fine. It's better than what you have."

She smiled. "Thank you, Noah," she said softly. She had trouble getting her clothing on and her shoulder ached when she was done, but she managed to get herself into her clothes. When she walked out of the bathroom, the TV was off and everyone was waiting on her. Daddy helped her get the sling back on and they started to the door. She took one last look back at the room, hoping she'd never have to see it again, before turning and following Noah to the elevator.

She was finally going home.

!

If they had been thinking clearly when they'd gotten the call that Rachel was ok, they would have thought to bring her clothes. But they hadn't been and the nurse had brought Rachel's clothing from the front desk.

He didn't know what he had been expecting but it wasn't the mass amount of blood all over everything. He felt lightheaded as he stared at the blood that covered her shirt so entirely you almost couldn't tell what color it had originally been. He realized, for the first time, looking at all that blood, how close they had come to losing her.

She took the bag and he so did not want to see her put that shirt back on, to present the image of what had been so real, so close. He whipped off his shirt almost before he knew what he was doing, handing it to her to wear instead, relief settling in as she abandoned her other shirt.

There were pictures, he knew, pictures of the girls from when they arrived at the hospital. The police had taken pictures of each girl's injuries and condition for evidence, which Rachel's Dad said was standard procedure. Puck hadn't seen the pictures and he was pretty sure he didn't ever want to.

She came out of the bathroom and he smiled when he saw how tiny his t-shirt made her look. He watched as her Daddy helped her into her sling again. He knew the man was trying to be gentle as he maneuvered her arm, but from the pained look on Rachel's face, he knew it wasn't gentle enough. They rode the elevator down to the parking garage, Rachel uncharacteristically silent the whole time. He studied her out of the corner of his eye.

Now that she was out of the hospital bed and back into normal clothes, he saw how bad she really looked. The bruising on her cheek was fading but still clearly visible in the daylight. She had dark circles under her eyes and she looked like she had lost weight, but whether that was because she actually had or because his shirt was huge on her, he didn't know. She looked absolutely exhausted, like you could knock her over with a feather. He matched his stride with hers and put his arm around her, gently tucking her into his side. She leaned into him immediately, leaning a good portion of her weight on him.

Her fathers unlocked the car and he helped her into the backseat before sliding in beside her. She curled up to him again as soon as he was settled. Her fathers climbed into the front seat and they started on their way. He sent his mom a text to let her know he would need a ride home from the Berrys. He looked down and noticed Rachel's heavy eyelids. He pulled her closer to him, her head in the crook of his shoulder. He stroked her hair softly like he knew she liked and she drifted off to sleep in minutes.

Her dads talked quietly in the front seat, the radio playing softly. He sent a text to all the Gleeks, letting them know she was coming home and really was ok. He leaned his head back on the seat, closing his eyes, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment, the soft music, Rachel safe in his arms.

They missed rush hour and made it home in good time. Rachel hadn't stirred once the entire time. They woke her enough to walk into the house. She cradled her sling with her good arm and her Daddy made her take some aspirin before Puck helped her upstairs.

Her room was still the same, he noted as he pushed open her door with one hand. Still that pale yellow he loved. He pulled down the covers and helped her into bed, brushing her hair back from her face as he tucked her in.

"Thank you," she said sleepily.

He dropped a light kiss to her forehead. "You're welcome, babe. Get some rest, I'll call you later."

"Mm kay," she murmured.

He went back downstairs and her fathers met him at the foot of the staircase. "She's sleeping," he informed them.

Her Dad sighed in relief. "She needs to rest," he said. "I was concerned when she took herself off the morphine, not only for her shoulder but for the rest of her as well. She may not have liked being knocked out all the time but her body needs the time to rest and recover."

"I'm not sure it's caught up with her yet completely," Daddy said. "She's been too cheerful, too well adjusted. I don't think it's hit her yet."

Puck stared at them in confusion. What were they talking about? Did they not remember her freak out in the hospital when she had to be sedated? He thought it had most definitely already hit her. He shook his head and a car beeped from the driveway. Looking out the window, he saw it was his mom. He thanked Rachel's dads for allowing him to go to Dayton, told them to have Rachel call him when she felt up to it and met his mother in the car.

She looked at him critically as he climbed into the car. "Oh, Noah, you look so tired," she said.

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Mom."

"How's Rachel doing?"

"Better. She's a lot better. But she's still really tired and the doctor said it will take a while for her shoulder to heal completely."

"I'm so glad she's ok," his mom said. "I know how worried you were."

"Mom," he said in a warning tone.

"Well, Noah, it's true, you were very worried. And of course you should have been. Imagine, a nice Jewish girl being taken like that."

"Tina's not Jewish, Mom," Puck cracked.

His mom glared at him before turning her attention back to the road. "Don't you sass me, Noah Puckerman. You like that girl and you know it."

"You mean _you_ like her," he muttered.

"Well, of course I like her! She's beautiful and talented and smart. And Jewish!"

He grinned at his mom. "Then why don't _you_ date her?"

His mother made a frustrated noise. "There's just no talking to you, I swear. I'm just trying to be a good mother, just trying to take an interest in your life. You know, so we don't have a repeat of last year with that Fabray girl."

Puck cringed at the Jewish mother guilt trip. His mother was doing a really good job of making him feel like crap. "I'm sorry, Mom. It's been a long few days and I just want to shower and crawl in bed. I know you mean well."

"You're my only son, Noah. Is it so much to hope that you will find a nice girl and settle down and be happy?"

"Mom, I'm eighteen," he pointed out. His mother just sighed and he rolled his eyes. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, Rachel and I are going to hang out once she feels better." He purposefully avoided telling his mother it was a date, knowing she'd never shut up if she knew.

His mother made a happy noise. "Oh, Noah, that's _wonderful_," she gushed. "You know how much I love Rachel!"

He groaned in frustration and rolled his head back against the headrest as his mom went on and on about the virtues of Rachel Berry.

!

Rachel awoke, groggy and disoriented, to a dark room. She glanced around in confusion, not seeing her fathers or Noah. Her heart started racing. A dream. It was all a dream. She was in the shack again, in the dark. Her heart started racing and she couldn't get enough air. She clutched at her chest, gasping wildly.

The overhead light flicked on. "Sweetheart? Rachel, are you ok?"

She stared at Daddy in confusion. He couldn't be here. He was another dream. She gasped again, panicked, still not able to breathe.

Daddy rushed to her side. "Take slow breaths, honey," he advised. "It's ok, you're ok, just take little breaths."

He sounded far away, like he was at the other end of a long tunnel. Of course, she reminded herself, he was a dream, dreams could do that.

"Honey, it's ok, just breathe. Rachel, darling, you're alright, just breathe."

She felt like she was suffocating, like someone was sitting on her chest. She kicked wildly, trying to free her legs. She raised her arms and found one restrained close to her side. She clawed wildly at the binding, trying to get it off. She gasped louder and she vaguely realized she was crying.

Dream Daddy helped free her legs and she struggled to her feet, ripping the binding off her arm. She crossed the room and Dream Daddy followed her.

"Honey, please, it's ok, it's ok. Breathe. Rachel, breathe."

"You're not real," she choked out, cowering in the corner as he approached her. "You're not here."

"What's going on?" she heard Dad ask. Another dream, another person who wasn't really here.

"I think she's having a panic attack," Daddy said. She rested her head on her bent knees, chest still heaving, trying desperately to get enough oxygen.

"Rachel, honey, everything's ok now," Dad said cautiously. She heard him step toward her and she sobbed louder. He stopped moving. "Sweetheart, you're here at home, in your room. Everything's ok, you're safe now."

"Not real," she sobbed. "You're not real either."

"I am real, sweetheart, I am right here with you. You're safe now, I promise you, honey," Dad said.

She raised her panicked eyes to his. "I can't breathe," she gasped.

He took the two remaining steps to her and swept her up in his arms. "Put your head down," he advised. "Put your head between your knees and try to focus on taking slow breaths. Try to match your breathing to mine. It's ok, honey, everything's ok."

She put her head down like Dream Dad suggested, ignoring the pain in her arm and her ribs. She closed her eyes and tried to listen to the breathing. Her chest hitched and she couldn't seem to stop crying but after awhile she felt the pressure in her chest ease and breathing came a little easier. A hand rubbed her back soothingly and the room was blissfully silent.

When her breathing returned to normal, she closed her eyes, sagging back against Dad. She heard him let out a relieved sigh but she was too exhausted to think about it. They sat there until she felt her thoughts start to blur and fade and she knew she was halfway to sleep again…


	11. Chapter 11

!

Puck texted Rachel as soon as he woke up. He'd taken a shower and gone right to bed, sleeping for about six hours. It was evening when he'd opened his eyes and he could hear his mother downstairs preparing dinner.

He picked up his phone from his dresser and sent her a text. _hey sleeping beauty, feelin better?_

He was disappointed when she didn't text back right away but his phone buzzed after about five minutes. _Noah, Rachel's not awake right now. We had an incident earlier and she went back to sleep._

He stared at his phone. An incident? What did that mean? He dialed her number immediately.

"Noah," her Dad answered, sounding exhausted.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Is she ok?"

He heard her Dad sigh. "She woke up earlier and had a panic attack. She kept saying we weren't real."

Puck swore, not even caring that her Dad heard him. "She told me she had dreams like that before," he said.

"Dreams like what?"

"She said when they were in the shack she dreamed I had come to save her but she woke up and realized it was a dream. She didn't want to sleep in the hospital because she said she was afraid she would wake up back in the shack."

Her Dad sighed again. "I'm not sure what to do for her," he admitted. "It took us a very long time to calm her down. She aggravated her shoulder injury trying to get away."

Puck closed his eyes, imaging a terrified Rachel. "Maybe I could help?" he suggested. "I mean, just come over and sit with her or something?"

"If you'd like to come sit with her, Noah, I certainly won't say no," her Dad said. "I just don't know how much good it will do."

"I'll be right over," Puck said. He hung up the phone and stuffed his feet into a pair of tennis shoes. He took the stairs two at a time and stopped in the kitchen. "Mom, I'm heading over to the Berrys for a little bit."

"But Noah, I'm making dinner."

"I know, Mom, but it's important."

She turned to the cabinet, pulling out plastic bowls. "At least take some with you," she said. "And some for Rachel's fathers, as well. I doubt they've had a decent meal lately."

He waited impatiently while she spooned enough food to feed an army into the bowls. He shifted his weight back and forth. "Mom, I really have to go," he urged.

"I'm done," she said, handing him the bowls. "Will you be home later?"

"I'm not sure," he said, already halfway to the door. "I'll text you and let you know."

He drove like a maniac to the Berry house and almost forgot to take the food in. He knocked on the door and thrust it at her Daddy when he opened it. "My mom sent dinner. How is she?"

"Still sleeping. Thank you, though, that was very thoughtful of your mother."

Puck waved him off, already climbing the stairs to Rachel's room. She was in bed, the lights were off, but he could make her out pretty well. She was sleeping, but from the looks of it, not restfully. Her forehead was creased, the way it gets when she's upset by something, and the skin around her eyes was pulled tight. He trailed his fingertips across her forehead and she sighed, turning her head toward him. He repeated the gesture several times until her forehead was smooth again. She looked a little more peaceful now.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, just watching her sleep, but she began to stir after awhile. She made a cute little noise as she stretched before she noticed he was there.

"Noah?"

"Yeah, babe, just me."

She glanced around the room hesitantly. "Where am I? What happened?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "You're home, in your room. We came home from the hospital today."

She released a big breath of air. "I'm really home?" she asked.

He took in the fear in her eyes, his concern growing by the minute. "Yeah, you're home. We got home early this morning, you've been sleeping all day."

"Not all day," he heard her murmur.

He cleared his throat. "Your dads said you had a panic attack. Do you remember that?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I…I woke up and it was dark and I was alone and I thought…I thought it was all a dream, that we hadn't gotten away."

"Your dads were pretty worried," he told her.

"I didn't think they were real," she confessed. "I thought I was dreaming them. Like I dreamed you."

"I explained it to them," he said, linking his fingers with hers. "I think they understand."

"I didn't mean to frighten them," she murmured.

"They're ok," he assured her. "Just worried about you."

She nodded and he could see her biting her lower lip. "Could you turn on the light?" she asked quietly.

His eyes narrowed in concern, but he crossed the room, flipping her light switch. "Better?"

She blinked against the bright light but she seemed to relax. "Yes, thank you."

They sat in silence for awhile until he spoke again. "My mom sent dinner. If you're hungry I could go get you some."

She shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not really hungry."

He nodded, trying to stifle his concern. "Wanna make out?" he said suddenly. She sent him a dirty look and he held up his hands. "Kidding. Wanna watch a movie?"

She nodded and he noticed her trying to smother a yawn. "That sounds good. You pick," she told him.

He smirked, going to her DVD collection. He could be a real dick about this, he knew. She said it was his pick, after all. But he wasn't. He picked out a chick flick and popped it into her DVD player. She patted the bed beside her and he didn't hesitate, plopping down gently beside her.

She cuddled up to him and he glanced down at her when he heard her sharp intake of breath. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. "I hurt my shoulder earlier," she said. "It's no big deal."

He was pretty sure it was a big deal, especially with the way she was holding it close to her. "Do you want me to get you some aspirin or something?"

She shook her head and he recognized the stubborn look that passed her features. "It's fine," she said. He nodded and they settled in to watch the movie. Something about losing a guy in 7 days or something. He stroked her hair gently and the next time he glanced down at her, her eyes were closed and she was sleeping again.

!

When Rachel opened her eyes again, sunlight was streaming through her windows and she was enveloped in warmth. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was after 11:00. She yawned, stretching a little. She stopped when she encountered a hard object.

Her eyes travelled up a masculine frame and settled on Noah's face. He was sleeping and he looked extremely peaceful. She smiled softly as she studied him, his chiseled jaw, the relaxed set of his features, the stubble on his chin. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest, and felt him shift.

"Bout time you woke up," he mumbled. "You slept forever."

She smacked him lightly on the chest. "I'm supposed to," she told him.

She could practically hear the grin in his voice. "Oh, yeah."

She closed her eyes as his arm came around her back. "What day is it?"

She felt his fingers run lightly through her hair. "Monday."

"Monday? Shouldn't you be in school?"

He chuckled. "Mom gave me one more day. Said I have to go back tomorrow."

"Mmm." She ran her fingers absently down his chest, not noticing how he shuddered lightly at the touch. "I wonder how much longer I can get from my dads."

"You don't want to go back?" His hand started making lazy circles on her back.

"Yes and no," she sighed. "I miss everyone from glee club, of course. But you know how things are. The gossips hounds will be out in full force. Either that or a welcome back slushie to the face."

"Not gonna happen," he said confidently.

She scoffed. "You sound so sure."

"I'm positive. Trust me, it's not gonna happen. And if it does, it won't happen more than once."

His hand had found the bottom of her shirt and had slipped under. His fingers traced slow patterns on her warm skin and she lost her train of thought for a moment. "You know I abhor violence, Noah."

She felt his chest rumble with his laughter. "I don't know what that means, but it kinda turned me on," he joked.

She shook her head slightly. "You're horrible."

His hand moved up her back and he continued his caresses. "You know you love it."

"Whatever."

He laughed again before settling down. His hands continued to work their magic and she was so relaxed she didn't realize she was almost asleep until he spoke again. "By the way, I'm supposed to ask you if you feel up for company."

She pulled back slightly, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Why? You're already here."

He winked at her before responding. "The glee kids want to stop by after school. If you're up for it."

"Mmm," she murmured, curling back into him.

His hand moved up her back again. "Is that a yes?"

"Sure," she said, but was dismayed when it came out more a purr.

He chuckled. "Feel good?" he asked, voice husky.

"You have no idea," she told him. "I'm so completely relaxed right now."

"I can tell, you're practically asleep again," he teased. "Your eyes are even closed."

She forced her eyes open. "No they're not."

He laughed again and she thought this was pretty much the perfect moment, being here in Noah's arms, safe and warm, content and relaxed. His hand moved higher. "If you're sleepy, sleep," he told her. "The gleeks can wait."

"I want to see them," she said. "Later."

She could feel him laughing again. "You have a few hours," he told her.

She smiled, closing her eyes again. "Good. Just don't stop doing that."

He laughed loudly but his response was cut off by a knock on her door. "Rachel, can I come in?" Daddy asked through the closed door. Noah pulled his hand from under her shirt, resting it carefully on her back, and she sighed at the loss of warmth on her bare skin.

"Yes, Daddy, come in," she called out.

He opened the door slowly, as if expecting to catch them doing something they shouldn't be. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Better," she told him. "I'm still tired, but that's to be expected, I think."

He nodded briefly. "Good, good. Do you need anything? I can make you some breakfast if you're hungry."

She smiled at him. "I'm fine, Daddy. Did Dad go back to work today?"

"Yes, he had a big case, and, unfortunately, it couldn't be avoided anymore."

Rachel nodded. "I'm glad. You can go back too, you know. I'm fine now."

He glanced down at her, then at Noah, noticing how neither of them had moved and were still entwined together. "Well, honey, to be honest I think I'd rather wait until you go back to school. You know, so I don't worry about you being home alone all day."

"I can be alone, Daddy," she said quietly.

"Yes, but what if you needed something?" he said. "I'd be worried all day about you, I wouldn't be able to focus anyway."

"I'll go back soon," she said quietly.

"Oh, I don't mean to push you, sweetheart. You'll go back when you're ready, I know that. Don't push yourself too hard, darling. Give yourself time if you need it."

"I have to go back eventually," she said. "I'm missing classes and the sooner I get back into things the easier it will be, I'm sure."

"Probably," Daddy admitted. "Just know that Dad and I will give you as much time as you need. No pressure."

She nodded. "Thanks for understanding. Oh, Noah said the kids from glee club want to come over after school. Is that ok?"

He nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, of course. I need to run out to the grocery store, though, we're out of….well, everything," he said and she giggled lightly. "Is there anything in particular you want, sweetheart?"

"No, Daddy, anything's fine," she said, stifling a yawn.

He nodded, moving towards the door. "Ok, honey, you just get some rest. I'll be back in a little bit. I have my cell phone if you need anything," he said, making eye contact with Noah.

"We'll be fine, Mr. Berry," Noah assured him. "But I've got my phone here if we need anything."

Her Daddy nodded again and closed the door behind him as he left. Moments later they heard his car pulling out of the driveway.

Rachel sighed, rolling slowly onto her back. "I hate that they're so worried," she said.

"Why?"

She sighed again and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I'm not going to break," she said. "I mean, I know after last night they don't really have any reason to think that, but I'm ok. Mostly. You know?"

He ran a hand down her arm in a soothing gesture. "I know," he said. "But they were worried, Rach. We all were. You were missing and no one knew where you were. It makes sense that they don't want to let you out of their sight for awhile."

She turned on her side to face him. "Is that what you're doing?" she asked quietly.

He grinned and ran a finger gently down her cheek. "Partly," he confessed. "And partly I just like being here. I like being with you."

She grinned at him. "Since when?"

He shrugged. "Don't know, really. Since before all this stuff happened, for sure."

She looked into his eyes and found they were serious. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't know when but something's changed, been changing for awhile. Remember that night we were studying downstairs and you threw your chem book across the room?"

She blushed a little. "Don't remind me," she muttered.

He chuckled. "I was going to bring it up that night," he said. "But you got frustrated and threw your little tantrum and it was hysterical," he teased.

"You almost kissed me that night," she remembered.

"You almost kissed me back."

"So this isn't just because of what happened?"

He heard the uncertainty in her voice and reached for her hand. "No. I mean, kind of, I guess. I knew what I was feeling before, kind of, but this just made it more clear. I don't want to lose you, Rach, and I almost did. I didn't tell you what I was feeling and I was so angry that I hadn't."

"Why?"

"I wanted you to know what you mean to me," he said. He laughed a little. "Schue and I even had a conversation about it. He kept telling me I would get a chance to tell you. Turns out he's an optimist."

Rachel giggled. "Who knew?"

He grinned at her. "So, yeah, I guess you could say this brought everything out, but there feelings were already there, have been for awhile."

"Same here, Noah," she said quietly. "I feel the same way."

He winked at her. "Suddenly I can't wait for you to feel up to this date."

She smiled, glancing down at their joined hands. "This won't be easy," she warned. "Just because we're different doesn't mean everyone else will be. You might get slushied every day."

"Bring it," he said, repeating the words he'd used the first time she'd expressed her concern for his image. "Doesn't matter as long as I have you."

She grinned at him, a warm feeling spreading through her stomach. "Awww, Noah."

He rolled his eyes but squeezed her hand. "We've got a second chance," he said. "After I was such a dick to you for so long, after you were taken away, after everything, we've got another chance. I plan to make the most out of it."

She couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face. "And people think you're so badass."

"I _am_ badass, Berry," he retorted.

"Yeah, but you're soft and mushy too," she teased.

"Shut up and go to sleep," he said. "I think you're overtired, you're talking crazy."

She laughed and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek. She felt his breath hitch and smiled. "I'm not so tired anymore," she said. "Can we watch another movie?"

"My pick?"

"Nope. You picked last night. My pick."

"Yeah, but I picked a chick flick," he pointed out. "That was for you."

"Well, it was still your pick," she said, eyes twinkling. "My turn."

He groaned but raised himself up and headed toward her DVD shelf. "What do you want to see?" She didn't answer and when he turned around and saw her devious smile, his stomach dropped. "What?"

"Phantom of the Opera," she requested. "The new one, please. Fourth shelf, third over."

He shook his head but popped the movie in. Joining her back on the bed, he pulled her close again as the movie opened.


	12. Chapter 12

!

They spent the next few hours in her room, watching movies. Daddy had come back loaded with groceries and she was pleasantly surprised when Noah offered to help him bring them in. He was gone a little while and when he came back up, he was carrying two plates of the lunch Daddy had made. After they ate she had taken a quick shower, being careful not to move her shoulder too much.

She dried off quickly and shrugged into her long fluffy bathrobe. It was warm and one of her favorite comforts after a long day. She padded back down the hallway into her bedroom and found Noah was still watching Sweet Home Alabama and hadn't bothered to pause it when she left.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Good movie?"

He kept his expression even. "It's ok."

She smiled and went to her dresser, retrieving her hairbrush and sitting down in front of her vanity. She raised her arm to brush her hair and winced as her shoulder pulled. She switched the brush to her good hand and struggled to pull it through the tangles.

"Here, let me," Noah said, coming up behind her. He held out his hand for the brush and she gave it to him skeptically. "I used to have to brush my sister's hair all the time," he explained, working the brush gently through the tangles.

"Such a good big brother."

"Damn straight," he said. The brush caught on a tangle and he deftly used his fingers to help untangle it. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, you're being amazingly gentle," she said. He looked a little wounded so she added, "My hair tangles really easily and I always have a hard time with it."

He nodded, concentrating on her long locks. After a few minutes he announced he was done. She changed into track pants and a t-shirt. Her shoulder was throbbing a little so Noah helped her into her sling and they went back to her bed, sitting up with their backs against the wall to finish their movie.

About an hour later they heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Glancing at the clock she realized it was too early for Daddy to be home so she knew it must be the glee kids. She shifted, suddenly nervous, though she didn't know why. Noah patted her leg reassuringly.

She heard the doorbell ring, voices in the hallway and feet thudding up the stairs. Her door was open and Mercedes stuck her head in, wide grin on her face. "What's up, Diva?"

Rachel smiled. "Oh you know, same old, same old."

Kurt followed Mercedes into the room, and Matt, Mike, Brittany, and Santana followed. Kurt approached the bed cautiously, staring at the bruise on her cheek. He clucked his tongue. "I bet that hurt."

She flushed a little as they all gave her the once over. "It wasn't too bad," she lied.

The group stood awkwardly in the room for another minute until a blonde blur flew at the bed. "I'm so glad you're ok," Brittany said, hugging Rachel tightly.

"Britt, watch her shoulder," Noah cautioned.

Rachel returned the hug with her good arm. "She's ok, Noah, it's fine."

The ice broken, one by one the members came forward and embraced her. Mike and Matt told her how good she looked, Mercedes told her she better not pull any stunts like this again, and Kurt eyed the sling in horror, voicing ideas about how to spruce it up so it wasn't so plain. She laughed and tensed slightly as Santana approached the bed. They had made peace, kind of, but they still weren't best friends and Rachel wasn't quite sure what to expect from the Latina.

Santana reached out and gently hugged her. "We really want Nationals this year, Berry, so don't ever do this again," Santana said dryly. "Schue nearly had a nervous breakdown and we're no good without our coach. Or our star," she added. She saw Noah scowl but she saw Santana's small smile and knew that was the Cheerio's way of saying she had been worried about her.

She smiled back at her. "Don't worry, I won't be doing this again any time soon."

Santana nodded. "Good," she said sternly.

"Where are Finn, Quinn, Artie and Tina?" Noah asked. "I thought you were all coming."

Mercedes waved him off. "Oh, they'll be here. We had to take two cars and you know Finn."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Fuck, he could be in Canada by now."

Brittany just looked at him. "We just got out of school, it takes hours to get to Canada," she said seriously.

Puck looked at her like she had two heads, but Rachel just giggled and patted the girl's hand. "Noah's just being overdramatic," she said, her eyes twinkling as she glanced over at him.

He scoffed. "Yeah, look who's talking, babe."

Brittany started to get up and Rachel looked at her curiously. "Where are you going?"

"To get you a mirror, so you can look at yourself," Brittany explained. They all looked at her blankly. "He said to look who's talking," the blonde explained slowly. "And if you're talking, the only way you can look at who's taking is to use a mirror." She smiled at them all, clearly proud of her intelligence on this issue.

Puck was staring at the blonde, mouth hanging open. "How have you managed to-"

"Noah," Rachel cut him off quickly. She turned to the blonde. "It's ok, I don't need a mirror, but thank you anyway, Brittany."

Brittany shrugged, climbing back onto the bed. "Your choice," she mumbled.

Rachel giggled and poked Noah, who was still scowling at the blonde, before turning back to the group. "So what's new with you guys?"

Matt and Mike filled her in on their football training and she politely tried to pay attention. Kurt babbled on about the latest fashion trends and what celebrities had been labeled fashion victims in the newest magazine issues.

She turned to the Cheerios. "What about you guys? Don't you have a competition coming up?"

Santana blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah, this weekend," she said, surprised Rachel had remembered.

"We're going to be great," Brittany said emotionlessly. "It's going to be awesome."

"It's going to be at McKinley," Mike said proudly. "A bunch of us are going to support our girls."

"You should come, Rachel!" Brittany said, some excitement injected into her voice. "You can be our good luck charm."

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Rachel stuttered.

"Don't you want to?" Brittany was pouting now.

"Oh, well, yes, but-"

"She just got out of the hospital, Britt," Puck reminded her gently. "She needs to get her rest. She might not be up for it this weekend."

"Well, actually," Rachel started slowly, "maybe I will be. I'm thinking of coming back to school this week, so we'll see how that goes." She turned to the blonde Cheerio. "Can I let you know later in the week?"

Brittany beamed. "Sure!"

"So you're thinking of coming back, huh?" Matt asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Yes, I think so."

Puck looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure you're ready?"

She shook her head. "No, but I have to go back sometime and the longer I wait, the more difficult it's going to be."

"There's no rush," he urged her. "You can take your time with this, your dad said so himself."

"I know. I just think it's time." She turned to the others. "Has Tina gone back yet?"

"Today," Mercedes confirmed.

Rachel bit her bottom lip slightly. "How was it?"

"Well, I don't know. We ran interference as much as we could but I don't know how much it helped."

Almost as if on cue, they heard another car pull into the driveway. Looking out the window, Kurt announced it was Finn, Quinn, Tina and Artie. Matt and Mike went downstairs to help with Artie's wheelchair.

Brittany bounced slightly on the bed. "All together again," she said happily. Rachel saw Santana roll her eyes at the blonde but then she sent her a small smile when she thought no one was looking.

Rachel heard shuffling in the hallway and Quinn appeared, moving aside to the boys could carry Artie in, Tina trailing behind him. They all exchanged hugs and their eyes lingered on her bruises as well.

"They don't hurt," she said hastily. They all looked at her like they didn't know what she was talking about and she felt her face flush.

Tina came to sit at the foot of her bed. "Glad to be home?" she asked, distracting everyone from the previous conversation.

Rachel smiled. "Yes, so glad. That hospital was killing me."

"Hospitals do that. People don't think so but you have to be careful," Brittany deadpanned.

Tina giggled. "She was starting to go a little crazy."

"A little?" Puck piped up. "She actually voluntarily watched Deep Blue Sea…and liked it!"

Rachel blushed again as the guys voiced their amazement. "I merely said it was an interesting movie that I might have to add to my collection," she defended.

"I get it," Tina said, coming to her defense. "There is absolutely nothing to do in a hospital bed and all your energy builds up until you feel like you're going to explode."

"Exactly," Rachel said, casting a smug look at Puck. "Which is why I don't really want another few days of that."

"What do you mean?" Tina asked.

"Diva's thinking of going back to school tomorrow," Mercedes informed the four latecomers.

Quinn eyed her sling. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I can't stay cooped up in my house forever," Rachel said, determination evident in her voice. "How was it?" she asked Tina.

Tina hesitated before looking the girl in the eye. "Weird," she confessed. "People that never talked to me were coming up to me saying they were glad I was ok. Some people had questions and wanted to know what it was like, if he had, you know, done anything to us. That kind of thing."

Rachel's eyes widened as she gasped. "People really asked you that? That's no one's business!" She heard a sharp intake of breath and saw Noah turning red, fists clenched in anger. "Oh, Noah, he didn't," she was quick to reassure him. "He left us alone for the most part. But that is no one's business and it amazes me the nerve that someone must have to ask such a question."

"I'd kill him," Puck said lowly, relaxing his hands and settling back against the wall. "He'd be a dead man if he'd even tried."

Rachel took one of his hands in hers, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. "He didn't," she repeated. "He never even tried. We never felt threatened that way, did we, Tina?" she said, looking to the other girl for support.

"Absolutely not," Tina said firmly. "He seemed content just to drug us and leave us. When he did hurt us, he seemed almost reluctant to do it, almost like he didn't really want to."

"He stabbed Rachel," Finn said angrily. "How can you say he didn't want to hurt you?"

"He could have done a lot worse," Rachel said quietly. "He hit me when I screamed for help. He stabbed me when we tried to escape. But when we were compliant, he left us alone." She paused, glancing at Tina again. "It makes me wonder what he wanted with us to begin with."

"And what he would have done with us if we hadn't escaped," Tina added with a nod. "I'd really like to know what his plan was."

Rachel hesitated before asking her next question. "Do you think…maybe, that he was really on a military exercise?"

"No way the military would assign a mission like that," Mike cut in. "No way."

"I just don't know what he wanted," Rachel murmured, the crease in her forehead showing her frustration.

"We may never know," Tina sighed. "But maybe it will come out in court."

"Court? You guys have to go to court?" Kurt asked, voice pitched slightly higher than normal.

Tina nodded. "They said we probably would have to, and the District Attorney has already contacted my mom to set up some meeting dates."

Rachel froze. "So we're really going to have to testify?" she asked quietly. "Be in the same room with him and everything?"

Santana crossed her arms over her chest. "That's bullshit," she declared.

"But if we want him convicted, they have to know what he did," Tina said. "We don't really have a choice." She trailed off for a moment. "Though, we could probably get away with only one of us testifying, so if you don't feel up to it or-"

"No," Rachel cut her off firmly. "If you're testifying, I'm testifying. We're in this together, just like before. This guy needs to be put in jail and we need to do everything we can to make that happen."

"I'll be there," Artie said, taking Tina's hand in his. "You won't be alone." Rachel could see Puck nodding beside her and he squeezed her hand for emphasis.

"We'll all be there," Quinn said from her spot in Rachel's desk chair. "I mean, unless you don't want us there."

Rachel and Tina exchanged a look before the Asian girl nodded to their friends. "I think we could use all the support we could get," she said slowly.

Matt nodded at the two girls. "Done," he said firmly, speaking for the group.

Rachel smiled as Puck squeezed her hand again.

!

Rachel's dads were a little reluctant for her to go back to school so quickly, but she reassured them that she was ready. Noah had promised to pick her up and drop her off from school, her cell phone was already fully charged and in her purse, waiting by the front door for her to grab on the way out and she really was on the verge of going stir crazy.

"Besides," she'd told them, "if I'm not ready then at least I'll know and can stay home the next day." They'd been skeptical but had granted their permission for her return.

Early the next morning she woke up to her alarm, rolling slowly out of bed, nothing like her usual leap towards the elliptical machine. She glanced warily at the abandoned machine, part of her wishing she could work out and part of her glad her ribs weren't quite up for it.

She took her time with breakfast and chatted with her fathers. By the time Noah knocked on the door, she had been ready and standing at the door for ten minutes.

"Hey," he greeted her, taking in her appearance. She had chosen a sweater and a pair of jeans. For some reason her skirts just had not looked appealing today.

"Hi. Would you like some breakfast?"

He shook his head. "No, I ate at home. Ready to go?"

She nodded and called out to her fathers that she was leaving. They both came from the kitchen to give her a kiss and greet Noah. She let them fuss a little and Daddy adjusted her sling slightly before she stepped back. "We really have to go," she told them, inching toward the door before they could change their minds.

Noah took her bag and opened the door for her. "I'll have her back here right after glee," he told her dads. "I have my cell on and it's charged so if anything happens, we'll call."

"I have my cell phone as well," Rachel said. "It's also fully charged. Don't worry," she called over her shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk toward Noah's truck. "Everything's going to be fine."

She knew her dads were watching at the door so she tried not to cringe as she pulled herself up into the cab of the truck as Noah stashed her bag with his behind the seat. Her shoulder ached slightly and her ribs pulled. She didn't dare breathe until they were two blocks away.

"Ow," she muttered, soothing a hand over her stomach.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I should have helped you up," Noah said, glancing over at her in alarm. "Are you ok?"

She nodded. "It's fine. I just didn't realize they were still so tender. They've been fine since we left the hospital."

"But you've pretty much just been lying in bed," he reminded her. "You've gotta be careful so they can heal."

"I will," she promised him.

He smirked at her and she got the distinct feeling he had done something, something she didn't know about. "I know you will."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you do?' He continued to smirk at her and then she knew that he had absolutely done something. "Noah Puckerman, what did you do?"

He turned his eyes back to the road, smirk still on his face. "Nothing major, babe."

"Noah!" she practically growled.

He barked out a short laugh. "Easy there, Tiger," he teased. He pulled into a parking space at the school and then turned to her. She was still glaring at him. "Listen, it's nothing. I just, you know, you seemed so nervous about coming back after Tina told you what it was like, so…"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "So?"

"I've got some people lined up to run interference," he told her. "Nothing major, just so you won't be alone if someone starts bugging you."

Her glare melted and she was practically beaming at him. "Oh, Noah, that's so sweet," she fawned.

He shrugged his shoulders self consciously. "Well, you know, people can say dumb things and I don't want anyone making you cry. I hate crying chicks," he mumbled.

She laughed and unbuckled her seatbelt with her good arm. "So who's on duty today?" she teased.

"Me, unless I can't," he told her with a smirk. "No one will mess with you when I'm around. But since we have some different stuff going on, I've got Mike and Matt lined up when I can't be there."

She smiled as he took her bag out of the car and carried it with his. "And what exactly are Matt and Mike supposed to do?"

He grinned down at her. "Just keep people from being stupid," he said.

"You do realize this is Ohio, right? They're not miracle workers, Noah."

He chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders gently. "I just don't want some idiot asking you questions and getting you all upset," he said softly. "You're supposed to take it easy and like you said, what happened is nobody's business."

"It's natural for people to be curious, Noah," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. "But it's true, it's nobody's business."

He opened the door for her and she felt everyone's eyes on her as soon as she stepped through the door. She stiffened and Noah put his hand on her back, steering her toward her locker. "Easy, babe," he said in a low voice.

She could hear everyone whispering about her as she passed and her face burned as she worked her locker combination with her good hand. Noah stood to her left, blocking the crowd from her view and when she opened her locker she was hidden from the rest of the crowd.

Noah handed her one book at a time from her bag and she replaced them with the ones she would need for class. "You ok?" he asked quietly. "I can take you home any time, you just say the word."

She shook her head adamantly. "I'm fine," she said. "They'll get over this eventually."

"Absolutely," he agreed. "And until they do, my badassness and impressive guns are gonna keep them in line."

She giggled, angling her head up to look at him. "That's so not even a word," she countered.

"What's not?"

Rachel turned to find Matt and Mike, twin grins on their faces, glancing back and forth between her and Noah.

She greeted them with a smile. "Badassness. Not a word."

Matt shook his head. "It's totally a word."

Mike tossed him a look. "Dude, whatever. I totally agree with Rachel, not even close to being a word."

"It sounds as though you could use a tie breaker," a nerdy voice spoke up.

Rachel recognized it before she even turned around. She fought back a sigh. "Jacob."

Jacob Ben Israel stood behind the foursome, glancing eagerly at the petite brunette surrounded by men. "Rachel. It's so good to see you."

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you, Jacob."

"Would you care to give me an exclusive on your time spent in captivity for my blog? In your own words?" She sputtered a response but he continued. "And then perhaps a celebratory welcome home dinner? I have the perfect bottle of wine, I've been saving it for our first date."

She gaped at him and before she knew it, Noah had him by the collar, feet dangling in the air as he lifted him off the ground. "Listen, freak, she doesn't like you, she's not talking to you and she sure as hell is not going out with you." He shook the trembling kid a little before setting him back on his feet and giving him a shove. "Now get lost."

She watched Jacob flee down the hall and turned to Noah with a small sigh. "Thank you. I guess some interference wouldn't be completely out of place today." She glanced at Matt and Mike. "If you don't mind, that is."

Both boys shook their heads and Mike answered for both of them. "No way, Rach," he said. "People need to back off, give you your space." He grinned. "That's what we're going to make sure of."

"I've got to meet with Coach Tanaka before class," Noah said, touching her arm briefly. "Missed practices and everything. The guys are gonna walk you to class, make sure no one does anything dumb."

She grinned at him. "No welcome back slushies?"

"Not today anyway," he said, regret evident on his face.

She linked her hand with his briefly, squeezing tightly. "I forgive you, remember?" she said lightly. "Not your fault."

"Totally my fault but I'm a jackass and I'm taking the forgiveness," he said, leaning down to kiss her briefly on the cheek. "I've gotta run, but I'll see you at lunch, sooner if I can swing it."

"No worries," she assured him, smiling up at the two grinning football players. "I'm in good hands."


	13. Chapter 13

!

Her two escorts, Rachel found out, were horrible gossips. The second Puck stepped away, they were all over her.

"Well, you two seem awfully cozy," Matt said casually. "Mike, don't you think they seemed awfully cozy?"

"You know, now that you mention it, Matt, I did notice something like that."

Rachel rolled her eyes at them. "Spit it out," she ordered.

"What's up with you and Puck?" Mike asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said stiffly. Really, she didn't know what the big deal was, she could probably tell them about their impending date, but then again, what if Noah didn't want anyone to know? It was unlikely that he wanted to keep it a secret, but it was a possibility.

"You guys have been all touchy feely since you've been back," Matt teased, taking her backpack from her when she had filled it with all her books.

"He kissed you and everything," Mike chimed in as they started walking down the hallway, Rachel sandwiched between the two football players.

"My cheek," Rachel clarified. "Just my cheek."

"I detect an unsaid 'so far' there," Mike teased.

She turned to glare at him. "You two gossip worse than the Cheerios."

The jocks sobered then and slowed their pace. "He missed you," Matt said softly. "Like, really missed you."

"He blamed himself. He kept saying he shouldn't have let you cancel your plans that night, that it was his fault," Mike told her.

"That's ridiculous," she retorted. "I would have done what I wanted anyway, and clearly, hanging out with Tina was much more appealing than staring at a chemistry book all evening." She took a deep breath, looking them each in the eye. "I do what I want to do," she said softly. "I always have. He couldn't have changed that, not that night and not ever."

"He knows that," Matt said. "He was just panicked. I've never seen him freaked out like that before."

"He tried to hide it," Mike said, "but we all saw it. The cops told him the information he had about your last conversation was helpful but he didn't believe them."

"We've discussed this," Rachel admitted. "He knows how stubborn I am and that I do what I want. I've told him that."

"It's probably fear more than anything now," Matt said with a shrug. "Afraid that if he lets you out of his sight, you'll disappear again."

Rachel blushed. "I don't know why you think that."

Mike nudged her gently with his elbow. "Come on, Rach, we're not dumb. There's obviously something between you two, even if you guys haven't admitted it yet."

"What do you mean?"

"He's happier," Mike clarified. "I mean, when he's with you. Even before everything happened. He would blow us off for video games to go study with you and he actually looked happy about it. The old Puck never would have done that."

"And you're happier too," Matt added. "You smile differently with him, like he's all that matters."

Rachel felt her face burning. "Everyone's seen this?"

The boys exchanged a looked and shrugged. "I don't know," Matt said. "Maybe not. We know Puck, is all."

"He's a good guy," Mike said suddenly as they neared her classroom.

She turned to him in surprise. "I know that."

He nodded. "Just saying," he said. The final bell rang and they all looked at each other. "Well," Mike said, breaking the silence, "one of us will be here after class to walk you to your next one."

She smiled genuinely at the two boys. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

They nodded at her and headed back down the hallway, off to their own classes. She took a deep breath before squaring her shoulders and entering her math class.

!

True to his word, Mike was waiting outside her classroom to walk her down the hall to her next one. They chatted pleasantly and she was glad that he seemed to have dropped the subject of Noah completely. He dropped her off at the door and said he'd see her later.

Classes weren't bad, considering she'd missed a week of them. She could feel the weight of the eyes of her fellow classmates but she kept her head down, pretending to be engrossed in her note taking and no one said anything to her. Both of her teachers had addressed her privately before class, welcoming her back and offering any help she needed with her lessons and notes. She was grateful for the small amount of anonymity she was being granted.

Halfway through her history period an aide knocked on the door and handed the teacher a note. They both glanced back at her and her teacher beckoned her forward. She gathered her books and made her way to the front of the room, hearing the whispers start as she passed. The teacher handed her a guidance pass and she silently followed the aide down the hall to the guidance office.

Ms. Pillsbury was waiting for her inside. "Rachel," she greeted her warmly. "Welcome back."

Rachel, though slightly uncomfortable with being pulled from class and made a spectacle of again, smiled back. "Thanks, Ms. Pillsbury."

The redhead gestured to her office. "Have a seat." Ms. Pillsbury followed her into the room and closed the door behind her. She looked at her critically. "How are you doing, Rachel?"

Rachel tried to smile though her heart was racing. "Fine, thank you."

Ms. Pillsbury looked at her kindly. "Are you?"

Rachel nodded firmly. "Yes."

Ms. Pillsbury watched her for a moment and Rachel was afraid she was going to push the issue. Instead, the guidance counselor nodded slightly, rearranging a few objects on her desk. "I'm glad," she said. "We all are. Everyone was very worried."

Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "Thanks."

"Listen, I know probably the last thing you want to do is discuss this right now. You're at school and you probably just want to get back into the routine."

Rachel nodded. "Kind of," she admitted.

Ms. Pillsbury nodded. "I won't keep you long, then. I spoke with Tina her first day back also. I just wanted you both to know that if you find the transition difficult or the excess attention you're sure to be getting from your fellow students is overwhelming, you can always come talk to me. About anything," she added.

"Uh, thanks."

"I understand that you just want to move on," the guidance counselor said kindly. "And I won't seek you out again after this. I just wanted you to know I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Or a recommendation," she said somewhat hesitantly.

Rachel blinked. "A recommendation?"

"I'm a professional counselor, I know other professional counselors," Ms. Pillsbury said, rearranging her pencils in her pencil can. "If you decide you'd like to see one at any point, I can give you a recommendation."

Rachel's eyes widened. "I'm not crazy," she snapped.

Ms. Pillsbury stared at her. "I know that," she said. "Rachel, of course you're not. But you and Tina went through something traumatic and that's bound to catch up with you at some point."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "I told you, I'm fine."

"And I understand that. I'm just saying that if you ever aren't,-"

"I will be." The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "I have to go." She started to stand up but the guidance counselor stopped her.

"Rachel, wait. I heard you guys have to testify in court," she said quietly. "That's going to be very hard, I imagine."

"You imagine? What else have you imagined?" She felt the anger coursing through her veins. How dare she? What right did she have to pull her out of class and start slinging accusations, making assumptions? What gave her the right?

"I guess I can just see where someone might have a hard time with something like this, at some point down the road," the redhead said slowly. The bell rang again, signaling the beginning to the next class.

"I'm late," Rachel said.

Ms. Pillsbury nodded slowly. "I'll write you a pass."

Rachel watched as the guidance counselor took her sweet time writing out her late slip. She glanced at the clock and aw the minutes ticking by. "Ms. Pillsbury, I really need to go."

Ms. Pillsbury nodded and ripped off the pass from her pad. "Ok, Rachel, just remember that I'm here if you need to talk."

Rachel slammed the door on her way out of the office and ran smack into a hard wall. Looking up, she saw it was a hard wall of Noah.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked harshly.

She blinked at him before turning on her heel and stomping in the other direction, towards the auditorium.

!

He hadn't meant to snap at her, he really hadn't. But the way her eyes got wide and her silence before she stormed off down the hall pretty much told him he hadn't been successful.

He trailed behind her, giving her some space. She clearly needed to cool off about something and he needed to give his pounding heart a chance to slow down.

He had panicked when he'd shown up outside her classroom and she hadn't been there. He'd watched student after student file out, each glancing at him and whispering but she never came out. Finally he'd stuck his head inside the classroom, thinking she was getting her missed assignments. And then her teacher told him she had gone to the guidance office.

His heart, already beating rapidly at the prospect of her being missing _again_, sped up at the revelation. Was she ok? Had someone said something to her in class, upset her in some way? Fuck, he knew she shouldn't have come back so early.

When she literally ran into him outside the guidance office, he had let the fear take over and had snapped at her. He was sorry almost instantly, but she hadn't stuck around to listen. He watched as she entered the auditorium, about twenty feet ahead of him. He lingered at the door, waiting for music to start, for her to sing something. There was nothing.

He peaked in the door at her. She was sitting on the edge of the stage, swinging her legs absently back and forth. She was upset about something, he could tell, though he didn't know what.

He pushed the door open and it creaked noisily. She didn't look up. He approached the stage and took a seat next to her, careful to leave some distance between them in case she was pissed at him and had the urge to hit him.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she mumbled, not looking his direction.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he explained.

"Then why did you?" she asked pointedly.

He swore under his breath. Ok, so she was mad about that. "You freaked me out," he explained. "You weren't in class and I panicked. I'm sorry."

"Ms. Pillsbury asked me to come to her office," she told him dully. She paused and he sensed she had more to say so he kept quiet. "Noah, do you think I'm crazy?" she asked, turning her soulful brown eyes to meet his.

"Absolutely," he said with a straight face.

She glared at him. "Thanks a lot."

He laughed and scooted closer to her on the stage. "Babe, you are five different kinds of crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He waited but she didn't laugh or swoon or cry. "What's going on?"

"Ms. Pillsbury told me I was crazy."

He raised his eyebrows. That didn't sound right. "Ms. Pillsbury told you that you were crazy?" he repeated slowly.

She sighed heavily. "Well, not exactly."

He hid a smile. "What _exactly_ did she say?"

He watched as she stubbornly shoved a piece of hair behind her ears. "She said that I can talk to her or she can suggest a professional for me to see." She practically choked on the word 'professional'.

"Babe, that's not Ms. P calling you crazy, that's Ms. P trying to help."

She turned to glare at him. "So you're on her side?"

He smiled softy at her and put his arm gently around her shoulders. She stiffened but didn't shrug him off. "Babe, I'm on your side. Period. Ok?"

"I'm not crazy."

"Not from this," he agreed. She elbowed him in the stomach and he grinned down at her. "Listen, you and Tina went through something bad. No one expects you to be completely ok for a little while. I think that's all she was saying. I'm sure she had the same talk with Tina."

"She did," Rachel admitted.

He tugged playfully on a strand of her hair. "See? She wasn't calling you crazy, babe, she was just trying to offer her help if you need it. That's her job, right?"

Rachel sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Yes. I suppose I overreacted a little."

He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. "It happens. Now since we're already pretty late to class, what do you say we just hang out in here until lunch?"

He got his answer when she snuggled closer.

!

Matt met them at Rachel's locker before lunch and Rachel could see he looked a little worried.

"What's up, man?" Puck greeted him.

"Your girlfriend wasn't in class," Matt said. "I thought I'd lost her or something."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You guys worry too much." She closed her locker, retrieving her packed lunch before awarding them both with a smile. "But thanks."

She followed Matt into the cafeteria and she could feel conversations stop as she walked into the room. She held her head high and she could feel Noah's hand in the small of her back, guiding her gently to their table.

All the glee kids were already there and she greeted them before taking a seat beside Noah. She ate quietly and tried to avoid the stares and whispers she knew were directed at her. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and turned to Tina.

"How are you so calm about this?" she asked.

Tina shrugged, looking around and meeting some of the stares. "I don't know. I just ignore it, I guess."

"It's annoying."

"People were worried," Santana said in a flat voice.

Rachel turned to her. "People hate me. _Everyone_ hates me." The guys rushed to assure her that wasn't true but Santana cut them off.

"Yeah, they do." She rolled her eyes when Puck kicked her under the table. "Look, it's true and we all know it. But you're one of us, you know? We all go to the same school and people were freaked that something had happened to someone they knew."

"That's not caring, that's disbelief," Rachel said.

"Yeah but there was a shine," Brittany said.

"Shrine," Santana corrected.

"Shrine," Brittany repeated.

Rachel blinked once. "A shrine?"

"For you and Tina. Had a picture of you guys, some candles, people cried over it, you know, a shrine."

Rachel glanced around the table and noticed all the glee kids staring at the two Cheerios. "How do you know this?" Quinn asked slowly.

"We stayed out of school, like you guys," Santana explained, "but we had to practice because we've got competition coming up. So we had to come after school. There was one in front of each of your lockers."

Tina shook her head. "That's so weird," she said in disbelief.

Santana nodded. "You're not kidding. I'm serious, people were standing around them crying, writing notes for you guys, everything. It was pretty creepy, like they thought you were dead or something."

"But they hate me, both of us," Rachel said softly, glancing around the room at her fellow classmates. Suddenly they didn't seem so scary anymore and their looks didn't feel so hostile.

"You're one of them, babe, one of us," Noah said, nudging her gently.

"What do you think they did with it?" Finn asked. They all turned to him and he shrugged uncomfortably. "I mean, did they just throw it away? What?"

They all turned back to Santana and she shrugged. "It was there on Thursday, gone on Friday once the news spread that you guys were ok. No clue what they did with it."

!

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful for Rachel. She still heard the whispers but, aside from an uncomfortable encounter with a freshman in the girls bathroom, no one had approached her. She suspected it had something to do with Noah's hovering presence.

He was at the door after every class after lunch, taking her bag from her immediately. They would walk to her next class and talk outside until she had to go in. She wondered how he was able to both get out of class early and arrive to his next one late. He had smirked at her and refused to tell her.

They were headed back to her locker after her last class before glee. The hallway was crowded with students anxious to get home and she stuck close to Noah, holding her injured shoulder close to her side. She stopped a few feet in front of her locker.

Noah took a few more steps, turning back when he realized she had stopped. "Rachel?"

She stared at her locker, trying to imagine what Santana and Brittany had described. She just couldn't picture it. "There was really a shrine?" she said doubtfully. "It's just so odd."

He set her bag on the floor in front of her locker. "I guess."

She shook her head, coming forward to turn her combination. "It is. People hate me, I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that they would care that much."

He shrugged. "Who knows? So how did chemistry go?"

She groaned softly. She had chemistry last period and it had seemed to drag forever. The teacher was nice enough, giving her all the assignments she had missed while she was gone, including a quiz the rest of the class had taken. It seemed like the class had covered chapters of material while she'd been gone.

"Don't ask," she said. "I swear, they started so many new things, I'm never going to catch up on it all."

"Aw, come on," he said, opening her bag and pulling out her textbooks. "You have the best tutor in the world, remember?"

"Yes, well, I'm going to need the best tutor just to obtain a passing grade, let alone a grade to keep my grade point average where it should be."

He smiled down at her as she shut her locker. "You're too hard on yourself," he said softly. "We'll figure chem out, it's no big deal. Just take a breath. It's your first day back, this stuff can wait."

She sighed as they headed down the hallway to the choir room. "I know. I just hate chemistry so much."

He grinned and wrapped his arm around her good shoulder. "Hey now, remember when you were so happy and said we had chemistry?"

She rolled her eyes but wrapped an arm around his waist. "Noah, I was on drugs."

He smirked. "Yes, yes you were."

She rolled her eyes again, entering the choir room and taking her customary seat in the front row. She wasn't surprised when Noah sat beside her. "Fancy meeting you here," she quipped.

"Shut it, Berry. Can't a guy sit by his girl without getting crap about it?"

She looked down, hiding a grin. His girl. She decided she liked the way that sounded.

Mr. Schuester walked in a few minutes later and everyone gave him their attention. "Hey, guys, looks like everyone's here. First of all, welcome back Rachel and Tina, glad the whole group is back together and safe and sound." He paused at the smattering of applause. "We've got a lot of work to do in the next few months so let's get started!"


	14. Chapter 14

!

Practice went fine, though it ran a little late and he had Rachel text her dads to let them know. Hey, he was responsible for her, he promised her dads she'd be home at a certain time, he definitely wasn't going to catch shit for them being a few minutes late. And he was pretty sure he saw Tina whip out her phone and text her mom too.

He helped her up into the truck this time, and she seemed grateful. He's noticed as the day wore on she held her arm closer and closer to her body and he made a note to stash some aspirin in his locker for her. Shut up, he wasn't whipped, just concerned.

He took the long way home, but he didn't think she'd noticed. They'd been chatting and she'd seemed caught up in it and hadn't asked. He couldn't help it. The normal way home was down the main road, the road Rachel and Tina had walked down. The road where their backpacks had been found. The road where they'd been taken. He drove down it once while they were gone and he'd almost thrown up on the spot. He couldn't stand driving down that road so soon and he was pretty sure she wouldn't want to either.

He pulled up in front of her house and he saw the curtains moving in the front window and her Dad waved at them before disappearing. She laughed and turned to him.

"Thanks for everything today," she said softly. "I really do appreciate not getting the third degree from everyone."

"No problem."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes and he found himself wondering why she hadn't gotten out of the truck when she spoke again.

"I, uh, I think I'm ready," she said hesitantly.

And being a guy, he can't deny his mind went somewhere extreme when she said that. "Ready for what?" he choked, trying to clamp down on his active imagination.

She smirked at him. "Our date. Really, Noah, you're absolutely filthy."

He sent her a wink. "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said, "I don't know what your plans are for this weekend, but I was thinking maybe we could go out Friday night. I've decided I'm going to the Cheerio competition Saturday morning to support our teammates, and as I don't know how long they usually take, I didn't want to plan anything for Saturday," she rambled.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Friday's good. You sure you're ready?"

She smiled her gorgeous smile at him and he swore he felt his heart skip a beat. "Absolutely."

He smiled back at her. "It's a date."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks again for the ride, Noah," she said, sliding slowly out of his truck. He watched her walk into the house, turning to wave one last time before she closed the front door. He waited until he was sure she was inside before he pressed his fingers to the side of his face, still feeling her lips on his skin.

!

The rest of the week went by quickly for Rachel, and she was glad. The stares at school had mostly stopped and she was quickly becoming old news. She was slowly getting caught up on her schoolwork and learning all the footwork for glee club.

Noah had picked her up and dropped her off every day and she found herself looking forward to Friday night alone with him a little more each day. Looking back at the boy he was, she could hardly reconcile that with the man he was becoming. It was a startling, but welcome, transformation.

The District Attorney had contacted her fathers and they had set up a meeting for the four of them Friday morning. She rode downtown with her fathers to meet the woman.

Clare Scott was a thirty something woman with an intelligent look and a no nonsense attitude and Rachel could tell immediately that she would do her best to put her abductor in jail.

Clare ushered them to her office and gestured for them to take a seat. They spent two hours going over Rachel's statement of what had happened and she instructed Rachel to leave nothing out. After Rachel had given her statement, the next hour was spent with Clare asking questions.

"The case seems pretty open and shut," Clare informed them. "Preliminary talks with the defendant's attorney indicate he's going to plead guilty anyway, so we may not even need you to testify at a trial. But even if he does plead guilty, there's always the sentencing phase of the proceedings, and that's usually when a victim's statement makes the most difference."

"So we will have to testify?" Rachel asked.

"I would strongly advise it," Clare said. "The judge is the one who hands down the sentence and judges are people too. If the judge sees the victims up on the stand, talking about how they were emotionally damaged and he can see the physical wounds…well, sympathy can do a lot in these cases."

"It's the same as we were talking about before, honey," Dad cut in. "With the parole hearings. But instead of going and saying why he shouldn't be let out of jail, you'd be going and saying why he should be in jail for a very long time."

"Is there any way only one of the girls would have to testify?" Daddy asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, Daddy, I won't do that to Tina."

"It's better if both victims tell their own story, anyway," Clare put in. "It makes the degree of horror that much more if the judge sees that it affected two people and not just one."

"When do you see all of this happening?" Dad asked.

"No date has been set yet, but within the next two weeks, if not sooner," Clare said. "There's not a lot to get done in terms of gathering evidence and if he settles on a guilty plea the proceedings should go fairly quickly."

"Do you know for sure he's going to plead guilty?" Daddy asked, laying a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"He'd be an idiot not to, as would his lawyer," Clare said bluntly. "The police found him in the shack and he was injured, as Rachel says she injured him. Also, Rachel's blood was found on the scene and I'm certain when the fingerprints on the knife come back we will find both Mr. Ford's and Tina's prints." She took a breath, looking them each in the eye. "There is no doubt this man did what you say he did," she said to Rachel. "Court is just a formality at this point. The sentencing is what we have to worry about. And you won't be under cross-examination by his attorney so you won't have to worry about that."

Rachel took a deep breath. "I just want it to be over," she said.

Clare nodded briskly. "I understand. I'll do what I can to speed this along, there shouldn't be any problem. Once we get a tentative date set, we'll meet again and prepare your statement for the sentencing. We want a statement that evokes the most emotion from the judge. That's the most important thing."

Her dads nodded in agreement and they all shook hands, agreeing to meet at a later date. Daddy said that since it was so late there was no point in going back to school, so they all had a late lunch and she went home to get ready for her date with Noah.

She was still staring at her closet at 4:00. She was starting to panic. She had showered and dried her hair, but she needed to know what she was wearing before she did her hair and makeup. Noah was picking her up at 7:00 and she was starting to worry she wasn't going to have enough time. She glanced at her phone for the hundredth time. She heaved a sigh and picked it up, dialing quickly before she could change her mind.

When the phone was picked up, she said, "I don't know what to wear."

There was a long pause and the other person finally spoke. "I'll be right there."

Ten minutes later Kurt was tapping on her bedroom door, Mercedes in tow. "Where do we start?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

His gaze alternated between her and her closet. "What's the occasion?"

She felt her cheeks get warm. "I, uh, have a date."

Kurt and Mercedes turned to her and she had their full attention. Kurt tugged her to the bed, seating himself on it gracefully. "Spill," he commanded.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ears, grimacing as Kurt smacked her hand away. "Ow!"

"You'll make my job harder by doing that," he insisted. "Now spill!"

"Noah and I are going on a date."

There was silence as the two best friends exchanged glances. "Noah as in Puck?" Mercedes asked slowly.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "No, Noah as in the ark."

"I always pictured you with an older man," Kurt quipped. "Seriously, though, Puck? Are you sure?"

Rachel nodded firmly. "Yes. He has changed greatly since he first joined glee club and he's very sweet to me."

Kurt grinned. "We noticed."

"You did?"

"Honey, everyone has. He dotes on you and follows you around like a lovesick puppy."

"He does not."

"He was always at your dads' house when you were gone. He went _with your dads_ to the hospital to see you. He's smitten."

"For what it's worth, I think he's serious," Mercedes put in. "I don't think he's just looking for a hookup or anything."

Rachel smiled and Kurt pounced on her immediately. "I know that look, girlfriend, you have dirt! Out with it!"

"We almost kissed once before I was taken," she confessed. "And then we had a moment in the hospital."

"He kissed you!" Kurt gushed.

Rachel shook her head, eyes shining. "Nope. He _didn't_ kiss me."

Mercedes furrowed her brow. "I don't get it. How is that important?"

"He said he wasn't going to kiss me," Rachel explained. "He said we got a second chance and we were going to do it right this time, with a date and everything."

"Awww," Kurt and Mercedes cooed.

Rachel glared at them. "This better not get back to anyone else," she said. "I only called because I have absolutely no idea how to dress for this."

Kurt stood, all business again. "Where is he taking you?"

Rachel shrugged. "No idea. He wouldn't tell me."

Kurt nodded distractedly, pawing through her closet. He made small tutting sounds as he came across various articles of clothing he found displeasing. "You and I are so going shopping soon," he told her over his shoulder.

Rachel cringed. "I figured."

Mercedes was looking her over. "How were you planning on doing your hair?"

"I don't know. Probably just leaving it down since I can't really life my arm enough to put it up."

Mercedes nodded, still eyeing her. "We'll see," she said. She pulled out Rachel's makeup bag and started rummaging through it. "Kurt, what color are you thinking?"

"Blue," came the muffled response. Rachel turned to look and saw he was half buried in her closet, searching for the perfect outfit hidden away in there somewhere.

"Whatever you're looking for isn't magically going to appear, Kurt," Rachel told him. "I just don't have anything to wear."

"You'll see, darling," he called out. "You shall see."

When he emerged from the closet five minutes later, he looked triumphant. "You will love me," he said, and then winked at her. "Puck might, too." He handed her a pair of dark wash jeans. "Put these on first while Mercedes and I color coordinate your makeup."

She did as she asked and when she returned the makeup was laid out across her vanity and her curling iron was plugged in. Mercedes gestured to the chair in front of the mirror. "Sit," she commanded.

Rachel did as she was told and Mercedes went to work on her makeup. Rachel just sat back and let herself be pampered. She had never done this before, she realized, shared something like this with friends and let them help her. She kind of liked it.

After Mercedes was done with the makeup she started on Rachel's hair. She pulled the top back with a silver clip and curled the sides, making them look wavy and sensual. She stood back and Rachel met her eyes in the mirror. "Good?"

Rachel nodded, admiring her handiwork. "Perfect," she admitted. "What am I wearing?"

Kurt held up a short sleeved blue button up shirt and a white camisole. "I went casual because we don't know what you're doing, but the dark wash of the jeans dresses it up," he said. "As do the shoes." He gestured to a pair of silver open toed high heels. "We'll do a quick pedi after you get dressed."

"Oh, you don't have to," Rachel said.

Kurt glared at her, hands on his hips. "Oh, yes we do," he said firmly. "If the toes show, the toes need prettying too."

Rachel nodded uncertainly, slipping into the bathroom to change her shirt. She eased herself into the button up, stepping back to admire herself in the mirror. They had really done a good job, she decided. The shirt was fitted and showed off her trim figure and the dark jeans really did make it look less casual. She stepped out of the bathroom and her friends gave their approval.

"Nice job, Kurt," Mercedes said approvingly. "Very nice."

"Thank you," Kurt said haughtily, coming towards Rachel. "But it's not supposed to be buttoned up all the way, hence the camisole," he told her. He unbuttoned the top few buttons so her white shirt was visible, as was a hint of cleavage. "Nice job with the hair too," Kurt told Mercedes, circling Rachel. "It compliments the look perfectly."

"We did good," Mercedes said, looking her up and down. "Grab the nail polish."

Half an hour later Rachel was ready. She kept glancing in the mirror, unsure if it was her staring back. She looked so…normal. She turned back to her friends. "Thank you so much," she said. "You guys really did a great job."

"It wasn't that hard," Kurt admitted grudgingly. "The raw material didn't completely suck."

Mercedes smacked him in the arm. "You can repay us with details," she said. "We'll be at the Cheerio competition tomorrow and we want to know everything."

Rachel sighed, knowing they would hound her until she told them what they wanted to know. "Ok," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow. And thanks again."

After they left, she puttered around her room, unable to sit still. She thought Noah would probably be a few minutes later, but at 7:00 on the dot the doorbell rang. She felt her heart thudding in her chest as she made her way to the door. She pulled it open and smiled at him. "Noah."

He grinned back. "Rachel." He thrust something at her. "This is for you."

It was a yellow daffodil, her favorite spring flower. "Oh, Noah, thank you," she said.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "It's nothing major. I picked it from my mom's garden before I left, so…"

"It is something," she argued. "And it's beautiful. Let me put it in some water."

"Rachel, it's just a daffodil," he said.

She glared at him. "But it's my daffodil and I say it needs put in water."

He heard chuckling and as he followed her into the house he saw her dads sitting in the living room. "Uh, hi, Mr. Berry. And Mr. Berry."

They raised their hands in greeting. "Good evening, Noah," her Daddy said, grinning at him.

Rachel came back into the living room without the flower. "I'm ready to go now," she said happily.

"Did you use the vase under the sink, honey?" her Dad asked, trying to contain his smile.

"Yes, I did," Rachel said happily.

Puck rolled his eyes. "It's just a daffodil," he said again. "It will probably be dead in two days."

"It's the thought that counts, Noah," Rachel said sternly.

He didn't even have to glance over to know her dads were laughing again. "I guess. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said guiding her to the door. He turned back to her fathers. "I know her curfew is midnight, I'll have her home by then. And I have my cell phone, on and charged."

Her Daddy nodded. "That's fine, Noah. You two have a good time."

He opened her door for her and helped her up into the truck. She was still wearing her sling and he knew her arm probably hurt a little. He rounded the truck and started it, noticing how she instantly turned his radio.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you the driver picks the music?" he asked her teasingly.

"That's doesn't apply if there's no music on," she told him.

He grinned, keeping his eyes on the road. "You look nice tonight," he said. He could see her smile out of the corner of his eye.

"You look nice too," she said.

He snorted. "It's just jeans and a nice shirt, Berry."

"That doesn't change the fact that you wear it well," she informed him. "So, where are we going?"

He glanced at her, smirking. "How much is it killing you not to know?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not at all. I don't need to know everything, you know." She was quiet for a few minutes before she spoke again. "But seriously, where are you taking me?"

He laughed. "You'll see," he promised her. "You'll like it, trust me."

The restaurant turned out to be an Italian restaurant the next town over. He helped her out of the truck and inside. He spoke to the hostess and they were led right to a table. He held her chair for her until she was seated and then he took the seat across from her.

She smiled at him from across the table as the waitress placed their menus in front of them. "You had a reservation," she said.

He nodded. "Well, yeah. Isn't that what you do on a date?"

She smiled again, nodding and picking up her menu. They perused for a few minutes and placed their order when their waitress came back. When they were alone again Rachel took a moment to study the restaurant. It was beautiful, decorated in dark, rich colors with low lighting to create an intimate atmosphere.

"This place is amazing," she told him. "How did you even find it?"

He looked sheepish. "My mom suggested it, actually," he said. "She'd been here before and she thought you'd like it."

Rachel nodded her approval. "So far so good," she said. "So how was school today?"

"Boring," he retorted. "How was your meeting?

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll have to testify at a trial," she told him. "But probably at a sentencing hearing." She told him of her conversation with Clare.

"At least you won't have to deal with his lawyer," Puck said. "That's the worst part. Or at least it seems like it on TV."

Rachel smiled. "Yeah, my dads were happy about that too. I'm just ready to be done with the whole thing, you know? I don't like it hanging over my head."

He nodded and reached across the table to take her hand in his. "Are you still having the nightmares?"

"Sometimes," she said. She'd been having nightmares of being in the shack, or of being stabbed, or of being thrown in the back of the van since she'd been home. "I had one last night but when I went back to sleep I didn't have another one."

He squeezed her hand gently. "That's good," he told her. "Really good."

Her eyes met his and the candlelight from the table gave him a heavenly glow. She felt a warm feeling spreading through her. "I'm really glad we got to do this," she said, gazing into the hazel depths.

He smiled softly, a smile she hadn't seen before. "Me too."

She lost herself in his gaze for a moment and caught herself, clearing her throat slightly. "So what are we doing after this?"

He cringed slightly. "Well, it's not very original," he warned. "I was going to get creative but your shoulder makes it hard. I figured a movie."

"That sounds wonderful."

"It's overdone," he said simply. "Everyone does dinner and a movie."

"But you're right," she told him. "My shoulder makes it hard to do anything else. It's good, Noah, it's perfect."

He grinned at her suddenly. "You're really going to the Cheerio competition tomorrow?"

"Noah, two of our teammates are competing in a very important event, held at our school, of all places. What kind of team captain would I be if I didn't go and support them?"

He shook his head lightly. "Never thought I'd see the day you wanted to support Santana."

Rachel shrugged one shoulder. "She's not horrible," she said. "Not anymore, anyway."

He laughed again. "She's a bitch," he said.

"Noah!"

"Hey, she'd be the first one to tell you that," he said. "It's not like it's a big secret."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I hope they do well. Brittany was so excited when I told her I was coming. You're coming, right?"

He winked at her. "I could be persuaded."

"Swine."

He laughed again as their food arrived and he reluctantly let go of her hand. They ate their food in relative silence, punctuated only by Rachel's small sounds of approval. He grinned. Apparently her food was very good.

She declined dessert after dinner and he paid the bill, holding the door open for her as they left the restaurant. He reached down and took her hand on the walk to the car.

He had picked a chick flick, something he knew she'd like, and he wasn't disappointed. Her eyes lit up when he told her what they were seeing.

"Wow, How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, Sweet Home Alabama and now this? I'm starting to think you're a closet chick flick junkie," she teased.

"I am 100% badass," he informed her sternly. "And don't you forget it." She laughed lightly and followed him into the theater.

The movie didn't totally suck, he decided, but he didn't really spend that much time looking at the screen anyway. He watched Rachel as she watched the movie, her big expressive eyes giving away her emotions. She was beautiful in the glow of the movie theater and her fingers felt perfect threaded through his. And he knew he sounded like the biggest prick, but he couldn't help it. He was sitting here with Rachel in the darkness, her skin warm against his, and he was feeling things he'd never felt before. He promised himself he'd never make fun of Finn for being like this over a girl again. Well, maybe sometimes was ok.

Rachel turned, as if sensing his stare, and smiled at him and he was absolutely positive his heart skipped a beat this time. God, she was beautiful. But the thing is, that wasn't just it. He'd been with plenty of women before, gorgeous knock out women. And none of them had ever made his heart do that before, or put that warm feeling in his stomach. They were just sex, just for physical pleasure. With Rachel it was different. He loved being with her, being around her. She had this way of lighting up an entire room, even if she was being loud and obnoxious. He'd seen that while she had been gone. Everything was darker without her.

As they exited the theater, hand in hand, she prattled on about the movie. "What did you think, Noah?"

He glanced over at her and he knew he'd been caught not paying attention. "I'm sorry, what?"

She grinned. "I don't think you were paying much attention to the movie," she scolded.

He paused at the truck, not reaching for the door handle, but for her instead. "How could I pay attention to the movie when you were sitting there looking so amazing?" he murmured.

Rachel felt her breath catch in her chest as he pulled her closer. "Noah," she said breathlessly, her eyes drifting closed. She felt his lips touch hers, gently, and his arm went around her waist. She put her hand on his chest, feeling his beating heart, his lips over hers. He pulled her closer and her hand slipped to the back of his neck as he deepened the kiss. She felt his tongue sweep against her bottom lip and she parted them easily for him. His tongue caressed hers and she pulled him closer.

He broke the kiss first, pulling away slightly to lean his forehead against hers. "I didn't think your dads would appreciate seeing that," he said in a husky tone.

She tried in vain to catch her breath. "Pr-probably not."

He let out a deep chuckle and leaned down to peck her lips gently again. "See, wasn't that better than a kiss in a hospital bed?"

She blinked, still feeling off center from the kiss. "I suppose."

He laughed again, louder, and stepped away from her, opening her door. He helped her into the truck and leaned in for another kiss before he shut the door and rounded the truck. When he slipped behind the wheel, she grabbed his sleeve, pulling him over and kissing him again.


	15. Chapter 15

!

Rachel got ready early Saturday feeling like she was walking on air. She danced around her room to her iPod, stupid smile glued to her face, as she pulled out her outfit for the day.

Downstairs at breakfast Daddy was the only one up, sitting at the table, sipping coffee and reading the paper. "Morning, sweetheart," he said.

She pecked him on the cheek. "Good morning, Daddy."

He suppressed a smile behind the rim of his coffee mug. "Did you have a good date last night? You didn't say much when you came in."

"It was good," she said and her Daddy laughed. He'd know that look anywhere. It was the look of one in love.

"What time is Noah picking you up?"

"Another half an hour," she said. "I have time for breakfast."

He handed her the Lifestyles section as she sat down with her grapefruit and they read together in silence. Her phone beeped some time later and she stood up. "Noah's on his way," she said, cheeks tinged pink. "I'm going to meet him outside."

"Have fun, sweetheart," Daddy said.

She kissed his cheek again. "I will."

She had just stepped out the front door when Noah pulled up to the curb. He reached across the seat to open to door for her. "Morning," he said.

"Good morning."

He waited until she was in the truck and had the door closed before he flung something at her. "Here," he said.

"What is it?" She picked it up, discovering it was a McKinley High football t-shirt. "Noah?"

"You should wear it," he said. "You know, something to support our school and all that."

"Ok." She looked down at the item in her hands. "Is it yours?"

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't give my girl someone else's shirt, would I?"

She looked over at him. "Your girl?"

He stiffened. "Well, unless you wanna be someone else's girl."

She shook her head. "Oh, no, no. I'm just surprised, I wasn't expecting to you to refer to me like that."

"Well, aren't you?"

"Your girl?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, yes, I…yes. If you want me to be."

He smirked at her. "Berry, I don't give my shirts to just anybody. You're my girl."

"Ok," she said happily. "I'm your girl."

He nodded to the shirt. "We're almost there. You should put it on."

She glanced out the windows, but it was early and most of the town appeared to be still sleeping. "Ok," she said. "But don't look."

He winked at her. "No promises."

She rolled her eyes and slipped her arms out of her sweater and into the arms of his t-shirt. Careful to keep herself covered, mostly because he was totally looking, she slipped her sweater over her head and slipped her head through his t-shirt.

He was gaping at her with an open mouth. "How do girls do that? I didn't see _anything_."

She sent him a wink of her own. "Our little secret," she said.

He was still speechless by the time they pulled into the school parking lot. The school was crowded, full of people waiting to see the competition, and it took a while to find a parking space. When he did finally find one, it was far from the school. He parked the car, slipping the keys into his pocket and turning to Rachel.

"Hey," he said, reaching across the seat for her.

"Hey," she said, leaning over to him. His lips on hers sent fireworks through her stomach and she couldn't help thinking that she would never get tired of this, kissing this boy. She pulled away first. "We should get in there," she said. "We need to find the others."

He nodded. "You're right. Brittany will kill me if you miss anything."

They got out of the truck and after he locked it, he took her hand in his, pulling her close as they walked toward the building. The building was crowded, with a line of people trying to get into the gym. Rachel texted Kurt to tell him they had arrived and soon they saw Mercedes weaving through the crowd toward them.

"Hey," she greeted. Rachel saw her eyes pass over their joined hands.

"Hey. Where are you sitting? Do you have room for us?"

"Yeah, we saved you seats. Come on, we're this way."

They followed her up into the bleachers and saw the rest of the group was already there. Finn and Quinn were sitting on the end, beside Matt and Mike. In the row below them Kurt and Tina were sitting, surrounded by piles of stuff.

Mercedes gestured to Kurt and Tina's row. "This is us. Hey, guys, they're here, take your stuff back now."

Rachel watched as Quinn took her purse back and jackets were passed down to Matt, Mike and Finn, revealing a bench underneath. She felt Puck's hand on her elbow as she navigated the row to take her seat next to Kurt.

Puck took a seat beside her. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

Rachel could tell from the looks they were getting that everyone knew something was up. Matt and Mike were grinning and nudging each other. Quinn smiled sweetly at them and Finn just looked confused. Turning, she saw that Tina looked satisfied and one look at Kurt and Mercedes told her they were just itching to get the story.

"Nothing, man," Mike said with a grin. "We're just hanging out. What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Can it, Chang," Puck warned.

Rachel giggled when Mike visibly pouted and turned his attention back to the floor. "Are they nervous?" she asked the boys. "Has anyone seen them?"

"I talked to Santana this morning, she was the same as she always is," Matt said. "I don't think they get nervous anymore." Finn said something Rachel couldn't hear and the three football players struck up a side conversation.

Puck leaned over, placing his hand on her knee. "I think my shirt looks better on you than it does on me," he said. "Even if it makes you look like a shrimp."

She stood up, noticing that the shirt was quite large on her. She rolled the hem line, stopping at the waist of her jeans. She looked at Puck for approval. "Better?"

He smiled at her. "Perfect." She sat back down and he linked his fingers with her, placing their joint hands on her knee. She felt a sharp jab to her left side. She turned to see Kurt and Mercedes looking at her expectantly.

"What?" she whispered.

"You know the deal," Kurt whispered back. "Details, Diva!"

Rachel widened her eyes, then rolled them toward Puck. "Not now."

Kurt pouted. "At least tell us if it went well."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "We're here, aren't we?"

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged giddy looks and Rachel turned her attention back to Puck. From the small smirk on his face, she could tell he'd heard every word.

"Shut up," she muttered under her breath. He chuckled and put his arm around her, drawing her close. She heard Kurt squeal on her other side. She sighed and leaned her head against Puck's shoulder.

Their attention was drawn to the floor when a man in a suit holding a microphone. He announced that the competition would be starting shortly.

Rachel had never really been into cheerleading. She wasn't stupid, she knew it was more than just dancing around at football games. She knew there was a competitive cheerleading circuit and that Kentucky, a neighboring state, was pretty much considered one of the top teams in the nation in the sport. She had just never really gotten into it. She was always more interested in dance classes and voice lessons.

But when the cheerleaders took the floor and she saw their routines, she gained a new respect for the sport and those who participated. There is no way she'd ever let someone throw her up that high in the air, let alone depend on just three girls to catch her.

By the time McKinley High's Cheerios took the floor, she was getting pretty into it. She stood and cheered for the home team with all her friends. Puck stood with them but she noticed he didn't scream like the rest of them did. He just looked amused at the whole thing. He met her eyes and smiled and she nudged him with her shoulder as she screamed for her teammates again.

The routine would be complicated, Rachel knew that, it was a Sue Sylvester routine, complicated was probably an understatement. But she wasn't expecting them to be so good. They danced, flipped, twirled, flew in perfect unison with each other. Girls were launched in the air to astonishing heights, only to be caught and thrown back up again. She watched Santana fly through the air gracefully and Brittany dance with a big smile on her face. She leapt to her feet next to Kurt when they were finished, cheering as loud as she could.

"They were awesome!" she exclaimed to Kurt as they sat back down.

"That's my choreography," he said, trying to conceal his excitement. "They used some of my dance moves."

"You're brilliant," Rachel told him. She turned to Puck. "Noah, weren't they fabulous?"

"They were ok," he said, trademark smirk on his face.

She gaped at him. "Ok? Ok? They were better than ok! They were the best squad out there!"

He tugged her closer to him. "Who would have thought, Rachel Berry, cheerleading fanatic?" He pressed his lips to her quickly, so quick she didn't have a chance to return the kiss.

"No fair," she pouted.

"Uh," they heard Finn say. They both turned to him. "Are you guys, like, dating or something?"

Puck nodded, putting his arm around Rachel again. "Yeah. Got something to say about it?"

Finn shrugged. "Not really."

Puck nodded. "Good."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "About time," she said with a grin.

They all turned back to the floor as the announcer came back out. He announced the teams and they all waited with bated breath. When he announced the first place team, he announced it was the Cheerios from WMHS. The stands erupted into a frenzy of applause and cheers as they watched their cheerleaders celebrate down on the floor. Amid the cheering fans, Noah pulled her to him and kissed her again. This time she got a chance to respond.

!

The rest of the weekend went by in a blur for Rachel. She had hung out with the rest of the glee club Saturday, celebrating Brittany and Santana's victory. They'd ordered pizza and the boys played video games while the girls chatted. She was made to spill the gossip about her and Noah and she'd done her best to keep as many details private as she could.

Sunday was spent at her house, curled up on the couch with Noah, watching some movies he'd brought over. He'd declared he was officially sick of chick flicks and he had some movies she just _had to see. _It was a day of cuddling, secret smiles and stolen kisses when her fathers weren't around. It was perfect.

She couldn't remember ever being happier than she was right now. She had everything she could possibly want. She had real friends now, and while things weren't always smooth, they liked her for who she was and they were truly there for her if she needed it. She had two fathers who loved and adored her. She had a bright, promising future to look forward to.

And she had Noah. She counted herself so lucky to have him in her life, even when he was just a friend. He was constantly surprising her, with his soft touches and gentle looks. This, she realized, was the boyfriend she had always wanted.

Of course, that kind of happiness couldn't last. Clare Scott called Sunday night. She told them William H. Ford had pleaded guilty to the charges of aggravated assault and two counts of kidnapping. Rachel's Dad had been outraged they hadn't gone for a murder charge but Clare said Ford would not plead guilty to that and she was confident he would not be convicted by a jury. Rachel agreed. While he had injured her, she never felt as though he were going to kill her, not even once. She had been afraid, of course, but she had never seen the intent in the man.

Which brought up all of her questions again. Why had he taken them in the first place? What had been his plan? She knew when men kidnapped young girls, the plan was usually rape, then murder, but none of those things had happened and she was confused, though very grateful. Clare informed them that he still hadn't given a reason and they might never know. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for the upcoming Wednesday.

It was sooner than Rachel expected and she was a little terrified of the idea of being in an open room with the man who had stabbed her and terrorized her. But another part of her, like she'd told Noah, was anxious to put the whole thing behind her and not sit around waiting for a date to be determined.

When she texted Noah and told him of the sentencing, he called her immediately.

"So, Wednesday, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Are you ok?"

Rachel sighed. "Yes."

"But?"

"I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

His voice soothed her frazzled nerves when he said, "You know I'll be right there with you, babe."

She smiled. "I know," she said softly.

"Do you know what you have to do?"

"No," Rachel said. "Clare wants to meet with me and Tina after school tomorrow to discuss things. We'll have to miss glee."

"Schue'll understand," he said.

"I know. I'm just ready for this to be over." She sighed again.

"You sound exhausted," he said quietly.

She smiled, curling up on her bed. "Kind of," she admitted.

"We did too much this weekend," he said regrettably. "We shouldn't have done so much, we should have just relaxed."

"Noah, did you see how happy Brittany was that we were all at her competition?" Rachel asked. "And I don't think she'd admit it, but I think it made Santana happy too. At least a little. No way would I have stayed home."

"Still, you've gotta take it easy, babe," he told her seriously. "You're still recovering."

She laughed. "You're worse than my fathers," she teased. "Anyway, Daddy's taking me to the doctor on Friday to have my shoulder checked out. I think it's healing pretty well, maybe enough so I don't have to wear that stupid sling anymore."

"The sling helps you," he pointed out.

"Yes, helps me heal, which I have," she said, rolling her eyes. "It almost doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Liar," he said.

"Well, sometimes it hurts," she amended.

"Are your dads taking you downtown tomorrow to meet with Clare?" he asked.

"No, Tina and I are driving down together. Cell phones charged," she said jokingly.

"Call me when you get home?" he asked.

A warm feeling spread through her body. "Absolutely."


	16. Chapter 16

!

Rachel met Tina at her car after school Monday afternoon. "Ready to go?" she asked, putting her backpack in the backseat.

Tina nodded, sliding behind the wheel. I'm so nervous," she confessed.

"Me too," Rachel agreed. "I don't really want to face him again."

"What do you think we'll have to do?" Tina asked.

"Well, Dad said we just have to get up there an answer questions from Clare, stuff about how we've been impacted, things like that."

Tina stopped for a red light. "Well, it's almost over, that's something, right?"

"It's something," Rachel said. "A few more days and we can just forget about it."

"I dream about it sometimes," Tina confessed. "Not every night or anything, but sometimes."

Rachel nodded. "Me too," she said quietly.

"That's normal, though, right?" Tina prodded. "I mean, that's ok, right?"

"I think so," Rachel said slowly, watching as traffic grew more congested the closer they got to downtown. "People keep saying we went through something traumatic and that it's normal to have an adjustment period to get over it."

Tina nodded thoughtfully. "I guess."

"It will probably get better after he goes to jail," Rachel said. "We won't have the sentencing hanging over us any more, we won't have to worry about seeing him. It should be better."

Tina turned her car into the courthouse lot and cut the engine. She took a deep breath. "Let's get this over with then," she said.

They had to check in at a desk in the lobby and they were given passes and directions to the District Attorney's office. They took the elevator upstairs and Clare met them in the lobby area.

"You're right on time," she told them. "My office is this way." They followed her down a long hallway and into a large office. She gestured for them to take a seat. "We have a lot of work to get done," she cautioned them. "Do either of you have experience with a sentencing before?" They both shook their heads. "Ok, a sentencing is basically like a trial format, except you're not cross-examined. You'll be sworn in, the courtroom will be set up just like a normal courtroom. You'll take the stand and the defendant will be in front of you. I'll be there asking you questions, guiding you through your statement."

"We have to face him?" Tina asked timidly.

Clare nodded. "Yes. Try not to let it rattle you. Our goal is to tell the story in the most compelling way, to evoke the most emotion from the judge, while still being truthful, of course." She turned to Rachel. "You're an actress?"

Rachel nodded slightly. "I can cry on command," she confessed.

Clare's eyes lit up. "Excellent. We can use that." The girls exchanged a look. Clare sighed lightly and put her hands on the desk, leaning towards the girls. "Listen," she said kindly, "the thing is, we need all the help we can get here. The maximum penalty for kidnapping is ten years. He pled guilty to two counts, so that's twenty years. Aggravated assault? Two to eight years. That's it. We need the judge to sympathize with you so he'll award the maximum sentence possible, twenty-eight years. We don't want to lie, but you girls have suffered emotional trauma from this, have you not? Not to mention your physical injuries and the impact on your families. It's my job to make sure this man is held accountable for his actions and the impact of his actions and to make sure he cannot do this to anyone else."

"Twenty-eight years," Rachel murmured. "That doesn't even seem like enough."

Clare nodded. "I know. An attempted murder charge would have been ideal, but I really don't think we would have gotten very far with it."

Rachel nodded. "I understand," she said. "My fathers weren't very happy you weren't pursuing it, but there was no proof he ever intended to murder us."

"You're smart girls," Clare said kindly. "You'll do fine, I promise. I just want to run through the questions I'm going to ask you, and then we'll go over your responses. Remember, honest but emotional."

!

Puck paced around his bedroom, trying not to look at the clock again. He knew it was well after 8:00. Rachel still hadn't called. She had promised him the night before on the phone and again today at lunch that she would call him as soon as she got home to let him know what was going on. He stopped pacing when he realized he sounded like a chick, waiting around by the phone. He rolled his eyes but glanced down at his phone again.

He was about to text her when his phone rang. Rachel. He picked it up immediately. "Hey, babe, forget about me?"

"No, Noah, we just got home." She sounded exhausted.

"How did it go?"

"Ok, I think. It doesn't seem too difficult of a process and Clare promised to be as quick as she could so we don't have to be there long."

"That's good," he told her. "So are you ready?"

She sighed sleepily and he could almost picture her curled up in bed. "As ready as I'll ever be," she said.

"Just remember, we're all going to be there," he said. "You won't be alone."

"I know," she said, and he could tell by her voice that she was starting to drift off.

"I'm gonna let you go, babe, you sound tired."

"No, wait, don't go yet," she protested. "Talk to me."

He smiled into the phone. "I can do you one better," he told her. He sang softly, "Where it began, I can't begin to know when, but then I know it's growing strong…"

!

Tuesday passed by in a blur and Rachel was pretty sure she couldn't tell you a thing she learned in any of her classes. She was distracted, her thoughts on the next day and what it would bring.

The entire glee club was coming, she knew. Some, like Artie, had gotten their mothers to call them in sick to school. Others, like Santana, just smiled wickedly and said they had it covered. Rachel appreciated the support, but at the same time, it made her nervous. She hadn't really discussed the ordeal with the rest of the glee club, not in depth. But she knew tomorrow they would hear the whole story, from both her and Tina. Everything was going to come out.

She knew realistically that her friends would not judge her for her actions. She had stabbed Ford in self defense and she knew that. She was well aware that if she had not stabbed the man, he would have stabbed her and probably Tina. And they'd be stuck there for who knows how long while he did whatever it was he had intended to do. She was surprised at the lack of regret she felt for her actions but she wasn't sorry for doing what she did. Her actions led to their escape and she would not apologize for taking her freedom back, hers and Tina's.

She slept restlessly that night, tossing and turning, her sleep plagued with nightmares of Ford's face. She dreamt of him in the shack, in the courtroom, in her house. She woke breathless around 3:00 and stayed in bed, staring at her ceiling until light started to shine through her bedroom window.

She took a quick shower and dried her hair before going downstairs. Her dads still weren't up so she turned the TV on low and settled in on the couch.

It was about an hour before she heard stirring upstairs and soon she heard footsteps on the stairs. "Good morning," Dad said, dropping a light kiss to her head. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Not effectively."

"What would you like for breakfast?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not really hungry."

"You need to eat," Dad cautioned. "It could be a long day."

"Whatever you make is fine." She heard him in the kitchen and she closed her eyes, listening to the comforting sounds of pots rattling and Dad humming under his breath.

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until Daddy shook her gently. "Rachel," he called softly. "Breakfast is ready, darling."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and followed him into the kitchen. Dad had prepared a huge breakfast, pancakes, a fruit salad, toast, juice. They ate quietly for a few minutes and Rachel was aware of the looks her fathers kept sending her way.

"So, honey, are you ready for today?" Daddy finally asked.

She shrugged, shuffling pieces of pancake around her plate. "I guess."

"What time is Noah coming over?" Dad tried.

"He said around eight."

Daddy glanced at the clock on the wall. "That's soon."

"We should leave soon after he gets here," Daddy said. "Court starts at nine and there might be traffic."

Almost as if on cue, someone knocked on the front door. Her dads both looked at her. "I'll get it," she said, rising to her feet.

She opened the door. It was Noah. She gave him a small smile. He stepped into the room, opening his arms, and she went to him immediately. He held her for a long time before she pulled away.

"Babe," he said, "you look like hell." She swatted his arm and he bent to kiss her gently. "Rough night?"

"Kind of," she admitted.

He put his arm around her as they walked back toward the kitchen. "Almost over," he reminded her. He greeted her fathers and sat down beside Rachel at the table. He watched as she picked at her breakfast some more.

"Would you like some breakfast, Noah? You're early, we have a little time," Daddy said.

"No, I'm fine," he said, still watching Rachel. "Babe, you need to actually eat some of that," he said.

Dad laughed. "That's what we told her."

She glared at them all. "I'm not that hungry," she said. The rest of breakfast continued in silence and she knew it was her fault. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't get much sleep and I'm a little crabby. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Daddy looked at her kindly. "We understand, sweetheart. We're all nervous about today, but you'll do just fine and then you can put it all behind you."

Dad stood, putting his plate in the sink. "We should get going in a few minutes," he said. "Do you have everything you need? Do you have your sling?"

"It's upstairs," Rachel said, rising from the table. "Noah, will you come help me put it on?"

Puck followed her upstairs, leaning on her doorframe as she swept through the room, coming up with the sling. He settled his hands on her shoulders, gently running them down her arms until his hands were encased in hers. He tried not to notice she was shaking lightly. He tugged her forward gently and she rested her head on his chest. He felt every breath she took as she tried to calm the tremors moving through her body. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed gently, trying to give her whatever strength he had.

After a few minutes she sighed and pulled away and he was glad to note she wasn't shaking anymore. She slid the sling over her head and he helped her gently maneuver her arm into it.

"Does it still hurt a lot?" he asked, stepping back to look at her.

"No, it actually feels pretty good," she told him. "But Clare wanted me to wear it. For sympathy, I guess."

He nodded. "It's a good idea."

He followed her back downstairs and her fathers were waiting by the front door. "Ready to go sweetheart?" Daddy asked.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."

!

As Rachel walked into the courthouse, Noah on one side of her, Daddy on the other, she was struck by how different it was in the daytime. It had been nearly deserted the other night when she and Tina had been here but now it was a bustling hub of activity and she stepped closer to Noah to avoid getting separated. She felt him squeeze her hand and she squeezed back.

She followed her fathers down the hall to Clare's office, where she and Tina were supposed to me the DA before court opened for the day. Tina was already there with her mother and Artie.

She stepped forward, dropping Noah's hand, and embraced her friend. "Are you ready for this?" she whispered.

"Not even close," Tina whispered back, hugging her tight.

Clare came out of her office as the girls released each other. "Good, you're both here. Are you ready? We'll be going in shortly." The girls exchanged glances before nodding hesitantly. Clare gave them a kind smile. "I realize this is difficult," she told them. "You're both well prepared for this. I'll be as quick as I can and then you won't have to deal with this anymore."

"And Rachel's going first, right?" Tina asked.

"Yes, just like we practiced," Clare assured them. "I know it's not easy, but try to relax. Just pretend we're alone in my office, going over everything, just like on Monday. Don't even look at him. Just look at me, maybe the judge if you can, but don't look at him."

Rachel squeezed Tina's hand harder, trying to imagine herself sitting in a courtroom staring at the man who'd hurt them. She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering her dreams, trying to erase his face from her mind.

A hand cupped her elbow. "Breathe," a low voice ordered. She inhaled immediately, not having realized she was holding her breath. "Again." She repeated the action and focused on Noah's voice, his touch, his presence and warmth.

She opened her eyes and looked up into his concerned hazel ones. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Are you ok now?" She could hear the concern in his voice and even if she couldn't, the little crinkle around his eyes gave him away.

"Yes. Just ready to be done with this," she said.

"It's time," Clare said, her voice cutting through everyone's conversations. "Let's head downstairs."

They took the elevator downstairs, and they had to take two because of Artie's wheelchair. Rachel clung to Noah's hand the entire ride down and Daddy rested a gentle but steady hand on her shoulder.

The courtroom was emptier than she thought it would be. Some people were milling around in the chairs in the back and the bailiff was already standing at attention in the front of the room, but that was it. Clare led her and Tina to a small table set up on the right side of the room, in front of everyone else. She reluctantly let go of Noah's hand and took the seat Clare gestured to. Tina sat beside her.

As Clare began shuffling through some papers, Rachel turned her head to see her fathers and Noah in the front row behind them, beside Tina's mom and Artie. Movement at the door caught her eye and she saw the glee club enter. They were dressed nicely, she noticed absently, in clothes appropriate for court. They smiled at her and Tina, taking seats in the rows behind her fathers. She took a deep breath and turned around in her chair just as the doors off to the side were opening.

She knew what she was going to see before she actually saw it. William H. Ford was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, accompanied by two officers. They helped him into a chair and removed the handcuffs, shackling his legs to a piece of metal bolted to the floor.

Rachel reached out blindly and took Tina's hand. She was unable to take her eyes off this man. He looked terrible. He walked in an odd way, kind of hunched over, as if the pain was too much to bear. The orange jumpsuit made his already pale skin look sallow and sickly. And when he turned to meet her eyes, he looked hollow and empty, almost as if he wasn't sure what was going on.

Rachel realized that he didn't look quite so scary anymore. His authority and power seemed gone and she wondered if anyone was obeying him in prison, the way he was used to. She didn't think so.

The judge entered and everyone stood until he told them to sit down. The judge detailed the charges against Ford and what the possible terms were. When he asked if anyone had anything to say, Clare stood up.

"The victims would like to speak, Your Honor," she told him.

He nodded once and Clare gestured to Rachel. She stood on trembling legs and made her way to the front of the room. The bailiff gestured for her to sit facing the courtroom and swore her in, having her place her hand on the Bible.

"Please state your name for the record," Clare said.

"Rachel Berry."

"Rachel, how do you know Mr. Ford?"

Rachel took a deep breath and tried to avoid looking over at him. "He abducted my friend and I and held us captive for several days."

"Tell me about it."

Rachel gulped, feeling her heart speed up. She glanced over at her fathers. "Tina and I were on our way home from school one night. Her car wouldn't start and we had to walk home. During the walk, Mr. Ford accosted us and held a knife to Tina's throat."

"And then what?"

"He made me tie Tina's hands with my shoelaces and then he tied my hands. He made us walk down the road to a van. He injected Tina with something and threw her into the van. I screamed and he slapped me and then drugged me as well."

"How did he drug you?"

"He injected me with something, the same way he did Tina."

"What do you remember next?"

"He put me in the back of the van and I felt very sleepy. The next thing I remember is waking up in the back of the van. It was completely dark and I couldn't see anything."

"Were you alone?"

"No. I called out and Tina answered me. We talked and tried to figure out how to escape. The van stopped eventually and he made us get out. We were at a little shack. He held the knife to my throat and gave Tina a key and made her unlock the door."

"The door locked?"

"No. Well, I don't think so. There was a padlock on the door and he made her open that."

Clare nodded. "Go ahead."

Rachel kept her eyes trained on her fathers. Dad was nodding encouragingly and Daddy looked like he was feeling everything she was. "He told us to go inside and sit against the wall. He gave us a granola bar to eat and then he drugged us again."

"With the needle again?"

"Yes."

"Did he ever say what it was?"

"No, but it made me very sleepy. It knocked me out almost instantly."

"What happened next?"

"The next thing I remember is Tina waking me up. She had looked around the shack and was telling me about it. We started talking again about a way to get out."

Clare paced in front of her and stopped, deliberately blocking her view of Ford. "Did you come up with any ideas?"

Rachel inhaled sharply. "Yes. Tina was going to lie on the floor and pretend to be asleep or passed out. I was in the bathroom hiding. Tina had managed to keep her car keys and we each had one. We were hoping to scratch him when he came in."

"You were hoping to overtake a man with a knife by scratching him with car keys? Did you think you could overpower him?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. We just wanted to surprise him, just long enough for at least one of us to escape and go for help."

"Did you carry out this plan?"

"Yes. He came in and went to check on Tina. She attacked him with her key and I came out of the bathroom and attacked him. He threw me off and I hit the floor. I ran for the door but he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back inside."

"How did Mr. Ford react?"

Rachel blinked against the sudden moisture in her eyes. She saw Quinn dabbing her eyes with a tissue and saw Santana staring daggers in Ford's direction. Matt and Mike both had their jaws clenched in anger. "He was angry."

"How angry?"

Rachel shifted her gaze to Noah. He smiled at her, nodding slightly. She took a small breath. "He was yelling a lot. He said that he had been good to us but we weren't obeying him and if we weren't going to listen then he wasn't going to be good to us. And then he stabbed me."

"Is that why your arm is in a sling, Rachel?" Clare asked kindly.

"Yes. The knife went deep into my shoulder. Luckily nothing was permanently damaged."

"What did Mr. Ford do next?"

"He went to the bathroom and washed the blood off his knife. He yelled some more and then he left. Tina tried to stop the bleeding in my shoulder and I fell asleep."

"How long were you asleep?"

"Not long, I don't think. Tina woke me up and told me I needed to stay awake. We tried to think of another plan to get out."

"Didn't you think that would be risky, considering how violent Mr. Ford became when you tried to escape before?"

"It was all we had," Rachel said softly. "We knew we needed to get out and we were willing to risk it, even if just one of us got out."

"Tell me what happened next?"

"It was early morning when we heard his keys in the lock again. We both pretended to be asleep. He watched us, but we stayed very still. He went into the bathroom and we heard water running. I followed Tina into the bathroom. We tried to be as quiet as we could. He was washing his face and the knife was lying on the sink. Tina was reaching for it when he opened his eyes. She grabbed it and we started walking for the door. He followed us."

"Go ahead, Rachel," Clare urged.

Rachel felt the tears spill from her eyes and down her cheeks. "I grabbed the door handle and opened the door. He grabbed Tina's wrist and squeezed. She held onto the knife at first but he squeezed harder and she dropped it. I dove for it."

"You went after the knife?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I knew that if he got the knife back that we'd never get away. That was our last shot," Rachel said, wiping at her eyes. The judge handed her a tissue. "Thank you," she said. She wiped her eyes before continuing. "I grabbed the knife. I was on my stomach. He dove on top of my, trying to get the knife away. He kept grabbing me, trying to turn me over so he could get the knife." Her eyes welled over again and she wiped at them furiously.

"What happened then, Rachel?" Clare asked softly.

"He was too strong," Rachel said, her voice breaking. "He flipped me over and I knew I couldn't let him have the knife. We were so close, so close to being free. So I stabbed him."

"You stabbed Mr. Ford?"

"Yes, in the stomach. He yelled and pulled back enough so I could get free. Tina and I ran."

"Where did you run to?"

Rachel shook her head. "I honestly have no idea," she said. "We just started running away from the shack as fast as we could. We came to a road eventually and we saw a car but the driver wouldn't stop. It was a long time before we saw another car, but the driver was very nice and she stopped. She let us in and called the police."

Clare resumed her pacing. "Rachel, how have you been affected by your abduction?"

Rachel took a shaky breath. "I have nightmares," she said. "Every night. They're always different but they're always about what happened. I have to wear this sling until a doctor says otherwise and I may have to have physical therapy to heal completely."

"How has your family been affected?"

"I think my dads were afraid to let me out of their sight," Rachel said with a small smile. "Everyone's afraid now."

Clare nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Thank you, Rachel."

Rachel looked up at the judge with swollen, tried eyes. "You may be seated," he said gently, gesturing to the table where Tina was currently sitting.

She nodded and stood shakily, forgetting to keep her eyes averted. She locked eyes with Ford and he grinned slowly. She jerked backwards as if he'd slapped her again, her breath coming in short gasps. She stumbled slightly once she'd reached the table and collapsed before she was in her chair.


	17. Chapter 17

!

Puck tried to keep a neutral expression on his face through Rachel's statement. She had looked his way several times and he had offered what he hoped was a convincing smile. He kept his hands at his sides and when she got to the part of the story where she was stabbed, he clenched his hands into fists. He heard the gasps of the gleeks behind him and he knew they were shocked. Rachel hadn't told them the whole story and they hadn't asked, but now they were getting all the details. He heard sniffling, from more than one person, if he was correct and he heard Finn mutter a brief "Son of a bitch".

His heart broke a little as he watched her break down on the stand but he was proud of her when she pulled it together. He was so glad when they finally let her step down. She was upset, he could easily see that. She was shaking like a leaf and he saw her make eye contact with that bastard. He saw her chest rise and fall rapidly.

"Be calm, baby," her Dad urged quietly beside him. "_Breathe_, baby."

She stumbled as she came around the table and he saw her eyes roll back in her head. He leapt forward, catching her as she fell, cradling her in his arms.

Her dads were beside him instantly and he was aware of Clare yelling for an ambulance.

He tuned them all out and focused on Rachel. She was breathing; he could feel her breath against his cheek. He stroked her hair back from her face. "Wake up, Rach," he told her softly. "It's over now, babe, you're done. Wake up."

Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks and the bailiff came over with a glass of water. Her Daddy took her hand in his lap, fingers checking for a pulse. "I think it was too much for her," he announced. "I think she just passed out."

Rachel stirred and moaned a little, a hand coming to rest on her forehead. She opened her eyes, squinting against the overhead lighting. "Noah?" she said wearily.

He smiled down at her, feeling the relief spread through his body. "Yeah, babe. I'm right here."

"How are you feeling?" Daddy asked her anxiously. "Do you need to go back to the hospital?"

She blinked quickly and shifted. Puck helped her into a sitting position. "No, of course not," she said. "I'm fine."

Puck rubbed her back gently. "Babe, you passed out."

"I'm fine," she insisted. She took the glass of water from the bailiff and sipped slowly.

Her Daddy had his fingers pressed to her wrist again. "Your pulse is normal," he said, worry still evident on his face.

"Of course it is," Rachel said. "I told you, I'm fine. Noah, help me up, please."

It was against his better judgment, Puck knew, but he saw the stubborn look on her face and knew there was no arguing with her. He took hold of her arm and pulled her gently to her feet. "You ok?" he murmured.

She glanced at them all in irritation. "I am fine," she insisted.

The judge banged his gavel. "Miss Berry, are you all right?"

She nodded sheepishly. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Do you need an ambulance?"

"No, sir."

"Perhaps some air, though," her Dad suggested.

The judge nodded. "Court will recess for ten minutes." He banged his gavel and disappeared into his chambers.

Puck took Rachel's elbow and steered her toward the door before she could glance back at Ford. He heard her dads behind them and he knew the gleeks would follow them out as well. He urged her down the hallway and out the front door, pausing only when they were on the courthouse steps. She turned to him and he pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently on the temple.

"You scared the hell out of me," he murmured into her hair. "I'm so proud of you but you scared the fucking hell out of me."

She giggled, wrapping an arm around his waist. "Sorry." She pulled away and tilted her head back to look at him. "I'm really ok," she said. "I think it was just too much."

He nodded, pushing her hair back from her face. "You were amazing up there, babe." He leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. He heard someone clear their throat behind him and he realized they weren't alone.

They turned to see her fathers and the gleeks. Daddy stepped forward. "Sweetheart, are you ok? Do you need to sit down?"

"No, Daddy, I feel better now. I think the fresh air helped."

"Fresh air, my ass," Santana mumbled, but everyone heard her. Quinn nudged her sharply but Rachel just smiled.

"You did really good, Rachel," Tina said. "Was it horrible?"

"It was hard," Rachel said honestly. "Just tell the truth, go over everything just like Clare told us, and don't look at him."

Tina nodded, taking a deep breath. "Ok. I think I can do that."

Rachel stepped away from Puck, pulling her friend into a hug. "You're going to do great," she told her.

"Group hug!" Brittany yelled, and all the gleeks pressed in around Rachel and Tina. Puck held them tight, wanting to protect them from the horror they had experienced.

"It's almost time," Tina's mom spoke up. "Tina, are you ready?"

The gleeks separated and Tina stepped forward. "Let's go," she said in a determined voice.

!

Rachel was pretty sure she had never been so embarrassed in her life. She hadn't meant to pass out in the courtroom, especially not in front of _him._ She didn't want him to have the satisfaction, didn't want him to see that his mere presence upset her. But she had and she was absolutely mortified. Sure, she was having some nightmares and sure she was afraid of the dark, but she was not a weak person and she refused to let this break her. She was a star, with big dreams, and she was going somewhere and she'd be damned if she let this man and this incident break her.

She sat alone at the table in the front of the courtroom, watching Clare pace back and forth in front of Tina as the girl gave her statement, much as she had done with Rachel. Tina was calm and composed, only faltering a little. She started to stutter a bit when she detailed how Rachel had been stabbed and how her wrist had been hurt and Rachel knew the stutter was completely real. Tina kept her eyes on Clare, avoiding looking in Ford's direction and Rachel was proud of her shy friend.

She could feel Noah and the others behind her, could feel their support and love almost as if it were a physical thing touching her. She kept her eyes straight ahead, using her hair as a curtain to block her peripheral vision. She noticed several times the judge and bailiff glancing in her direction and she just offered them a tight smile and continued watching Tina.

When Tina was done, the judge turned to Clare. "Ms. Scott, is there anything else?"

"Yes, Your Honor. I have several images of the victims taken at the hospital when they arrived. I'd just like to show you the state of the victims after their captivity at the hands of Mr. Ford."

Rachel clenched her jaw and felt Tina's hand slip into hers. They had known this was coming, Clare had warned them, but they had specifically kept that to themselves, not telling their families. As the pictures were projected onto a screen, she could hear the gasps of their friends and family behind them. She knew no one, not even her fathers, had seen these yet.

There were a few pictures of her, dirty and covered in blood. Pictures of her stab wound. Pictures of Tina's wrist. There weren't many, but Rachel could tell from the judge's face that they were effective. Clare had been right to use them.

After the pictures were viewed the courtroom went absolutely silent. The judge asked if Clare had anything else.

"No, Your Honor," she said. "We're done."

He banged his gavel. "All right. Mr. Ford, please rise." The police escorts helped him into a standing position beside his lawyer. "For the two counts of kidnapping, I sentence you to the maximum penalty of ten years apiece. For the charge of aggravated assault, I sentence you to the maximum penalty of eight years. Total sentence of twenty eight years, with a minimum of six served consecutively." He banged his gavel again. "Court is adjourned."

Rachel sat in shock as she watched Ford being led from the courtroom by the two police escorts. She kept expecting him to turn around and glare at them or have an angry outburst, or something. But he didn't. He walked with his head down and she watched him until she couldn't see him anymore.

She became aware of the noise around her, the celebrating, the cheering. She felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see her dads gathered around her.

"Are you all right, darling?" Dad asked, worry lines showing on his forehead.

She smiled. "I'm fine," she told them. She spotted Noah hovering behind them and sent a bright smile his way. "I'm absolutely wonderful."


End file.
